A Demon Lord's Hero
by Fahad09
Summary: When I sold my soul to the Devil, I thought I was prepared for anything. I wasn't. I didn't expect him to be a her. Or dressed up as a magical girl carrying a pink wand tipped with a cheerful yellow star. Her being a prankster however didn't come as much of a surprise. You know, the Bible would have been a whole lot more interesting if they included stuff like this. Complete AU
1. Chapter 1: A Different Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**This is also my first fic, so tell me what you think.**

**Chapter 1:**

**A Different Beginning**

* * *

When I came to, I was in a burning field.

I guess there was a big fire. The familiar town had turned to ashes, and it looked like remains of a battlefield from a movie. But that didn't last long either. The fire had died down by the time the sun rose. The tall wall of flame had shortened, and most of the buildings had fallen.

…It felt strange, being the only thing in that place that still had its original form. I was the only one who was still alive around here. I must have been really lucky, or my house was built in a very lucky spot. I don't know which it was, but the point is, I was the only one left alive.

I felt that since I survived, I should live on. I started walking aimlessly because I thought it would be dangerous to just stay there. I wasn't really concerned about getting burned up like the people lying around me. …Probably because, over and above not wanting to be like them, I had a stronger feeling in my mind.

But still, I had no hope.

It was already a wonder I was still alive, so I couldn't expect to be saved. I won't survive. Whatever happens, I won't be able to escape from this red world. It was such an absolute hell that even a small child could understand it.

And I collapsed.

Was it because there was no air? Was it because I had nothing left to give in my body?

Either way, I collapsed and stared up at the clouded sky.

A mountain of corpses.

People crumbling away.

A time when everyone wished for help, yet none received any.

That was painful. It was so painful that even living was painful, and I even thought I would be at ease if I just disappeared.

With a fading consciousness, I reached out for no reason. I didn't reach out seeking help. I just thought the sky was a long way away.

…In my last moments, that what I thought.

And then, my mind faded away, and the raised hand fell to the ground.

…No.

It should have fallen to the ground.

A big hand grasped the falling hand.

That person came into the fire to save anybody and found me.

…I remember that face.

A figure of a man, with tears welling in his eyes, delighted from the bottom of his heart that he has found someone alive. It was because he looked so happy…

…I even thought that he was the one that was saved, not me.

So, looking enviable even in my dying eyes, the man saved an unfamiliar child as if thanking something.

And yet, all I could think of as I was captivated by that dazzling smile of his was…

Was he smiling…

…because of me?

* * *

_I remember our first meeting perfectly._

Over a field of grass, dyed red by the setting sun, a sphere of light flickered to life. It pulsed weakly for a moment, its blue light wavering in the air before finally gaining strength and solidifying.

_How could I not?_

Slowly, almost hesitantly, it began to move through the air, leaving a trail of shimmering light in its wake. Twisting and turning, but never rising or falling, the sphere began to pick up speed as an image began to form from its trailing lights.

Like a paintbrush on canvas, the sphere drew a circle in the air. And within that circle was another circle, and third one within the second. Between the borders of the circles were strings of archaic runes, numbering in the hundreds, leisurely revolving within the limited space within the boundary of the circles.

When the sphere at last appeared to have finished its work, it hung in place, motionless for a few moments, before slowly drifting towards the very heart of the design, to the small patch of empty space located in the middle of the smallest circle.

Aligning itself in the center of the magic circle, it pulsed once and then twice, before it unfolded like the petals of a flower. The former sphere twisted into a new form, a two-dimensional shape that was clearly a symbol of some kind though one far too complex to be a mere rune and vaguely resembled a stylized necklace.

Once the symbol was completely formed, it started to glow. Radiating a light so bright and blue, it appeared to have been set aflame from within, which soon began to spread as the rest of the magic circle began to glow in turn.

Once the circle began to shine to the point that it was almost too bright to see, a figure started to emerge from the surface of the circle. The top of her head was the first thing to appear, revealing a raven black mane, which was soon followed by the rest of her body. Once her feet were pulled out of the magic circle, she hung above the circle, momentarily suspended in the air as her toes dangled just inches above the circle.

Its job now completed, the magic circle began to disperse into specks of blue light which soon faded into nothing. The figure slowly drifted to the ground, and once her feet was firmly planted on the ground, she opened her eyes.

They were eyes of violet, shining like gems of amethyst. She was a small woman, one that could easily be described as petite, though one impossible to be mistaken for a child due her fully formed figured. Her hair was worn in pigtails that were held in place with violet ribbons, and she was dressed in what appeared to be a magical girl costume made out of pink and white cloth. She held a matching colored wand tipped with a star in her right hand, while with her other hand she shaded her eyes as she gazed around the place she found herself in with an open curiosity.

_It's not every day that a Maou gets to meet a hero after all. Being summoned by one was a rare event, to say the least._

Surrounding her were swords. Peerless swords out of legends were planted point first into the ground around, spreading outwards towards the distant horizon, numbering so many that they were beyond counting. In the gold and crimson skies above her hung metal gears. They were suspended in the air with nothing to support them as they ever so slowly turned and grinded against one another. Their smooth, steely exterior was polished so thoroughly that they acted like mirrors, reflecting the cloudy skies on their surface.

_Let alone one from another world_

But she paid them no mind as something else had captured her attention.

_Usually the only heroes who come looking for me are of the variety that are trying to slay me._

Stepping forward, she began to make her way between the swords towards the one that had held her interest. She didn't travel far before she stopped just outside the edge of the magic circle that was carved into the ground.

Eyes wide with wonder, she gazed at the figure seated within.

It was a young man approaching the end of his teenage years. His hair was colored with an auburn red, though he had a streak of white staining one of his bangs. A man with eyes of brown so bright that they were almost gold. He was tall for his age, topping six foot in height, though he didn't look it sitting on the ground as he currently was.

Cradled in his arms was a little girl, barely a teenager. With hair as white as snow and skin so pale, she looked ethereal, like something out of this world. Almost like a fairy out of legend. The colours of her eyes could not been seen as they were hidden behind her closed eyelids. With a peaceful smile adorning her face, she would have looked like nothing more than a slumbering child if not for the unnatural stillness that took hold of her body and the crying boy that embraced her so tightly towards his chest.

_So imagine my surprise when I came upon you in that summoning circle of yours, cradling your dying sister close to your chest and clinging to her frame so tightly, as if she would disappear the moment you loosened your grip._

As tears continued to run down his already wet cheeks, the boy looked up to girl before him and begged for help.

_You were bawling your eyes out as you wailed out for someone, anyone to save her._

The girl observed the boy for a long moment before her eyes hardened.

Gone were the violet eyes, replaced by slits that burned red with hell fire. The face that framed it was drained from any warmth or emotion, looking as if it had been carved from stone. Wings, twelve twisted crooked black wings emerged from her back, surrounding her frame like a ring of shadows.

Where once stood a young woman, now stood a being a darkness. Shedding her façade of humanity, it revealed its true nature, that of a Lord of Devils.

A Maou.

Power, unadulterated power radiated out of her like heat from the sun. The entire area was drowning in it as the air around her form rippled from her mere presence.

With her eyes of crimson red, the devil in the shape of a girl looked back down at the boy, who looked back unflinchingly.

The devil offered the boy a bargain, a contract. She will grant his wish. She will save the life of the girl.

_I offered to grant you your wish_

But this was a devil's bargain, where nothing came for free and very rarely cheap.

_But at an impossible price, one too high for anyone willing to pay._

The girl would be saved.

But for a price.

A hint of disdain made its way to her face as the thing that was a girl but wasn't, stated her price.

_Your soul._

_And without hesitation, you accepted with a smile on your face so dazzling it looked as if I had offered you the world._

The girl seemed startled, shock written clearly on her face as she stared at the boy. For a time, the world around them seemed to freeze as the girl simply stared at the boy in incomprehension. Slowly, the girl's frame began to shudder slightly. The shudder quickly grew and grew until it sent her whole body trembling. From between her tightly clenched lips, a small laugh brought out.

She threw her head back and laughed. She laughed and laughed so long and loud it appeared that it will never end. However, there was nothing malicious in that laughter. On the contrary, it was a joy filled one.

It was a pure thing, like rays of sunshine after an endless storm.

_I could not help but smile. I could not help but laugh as I released my joy to the world._

The laughter of one whose hope was renewed long after all hope was lost.

_I have found you. At long last, I had finally found you._

It was the laughter of a tired soul that finally found a home.

It seemed to go on forever, but when her laughter finally ended, she lowered her head and gazed at the world through the eyes the colour of brilliant violet, her eyes shone with unshed tears as she looked upon the boy and asked a single question.

I remember the first time I heard your name.

Emiya Shirou.

The boy asked a question in turn.

_And I first told you mine._

_Serafall Leviathan._

And that was how a Demon Lord, and her hero, met.

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

And here it is, my first chapter of my very first story.

While I'm not a fan of DxD (stopped reading by the fourth book or so) I am however a big fan of DxD fanfics and crossovers (funny how that works - I think it's because DxD is such an interesting universe). While there are a ton of great stories in this community there are an amazing amount of Cliches used in them and they were driving me nuts. And by clichés I mean how the exact same things keep happening in each story. But I didn't want to be one of those people who just complained about other people's work through reviews while they sat back and do nothing. So instead I decided to write a story of my own as a form of protest to those Clichés...Stupid reason I know, but the next thing I know I'm typing on the computer and I have 20K words out in a week.

Ok, Cliché number one: Why does every powerful character from another verse suddenly get weak when fighting Raynare (the weakest of the weak in terms of fallen angles), get killed then resurrected as a PAWN by Rias, where he happy serves as her willing slave without trying or even seriously considering running away? I mean there are a thousand and one ways they can be turned into a Devil but they keep using that one over and over again.

So here's my take on it. Devils can RESURRECT the dead. For that power, a lot of people will be more than willing to surrender their lives for. I'm honestly surprised that it hasn't been done more often.

Now onto the Fate/Stay Night side of things. When Shirou was saved by Kiritsugu, his first thought was 'I want to smile like that', this Shirou on the other hand thought 'I am the reason why he's smiling like that'. What changes will it have on our favourite distorted hero? Wait and see.

**Note**: This chapter was Beta'd by grabblers (who had agreed to help me fix up the spelling and grammar mistakes that littered my older chapters), you can thank him for saving you from the horrors of my spelling.


	2. Chapter 2: They're calling me what?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Chapter 2:**

**They're calling me what!?**

* * *

I gazed down at the courtyard from between the blinds of the window. Three boys, the infamous Perverted Trio, ran screaming from a pack of girls, members of the girl's Kendo team going off their uniforms, who chased after them with shinais and bokkens raised over their heads.

I couldn't help but shake my head at the sight.

"Any reason why those three are still at school? Considering their actions I'm surprised you haven't had them expelled, if not outright arrested." I turned away from the window towards the girl I was addressing.

Like her sister she was a fairly petite girl, though not as full-figured and a few inches taller despite being a few (hundred) years younger than her sister. Violet eyes gazed out of her heart shaped face adorned with purple spectacles and framed with black hair styled in a bob-cut.

She was dressed immaculately in her Kuoh Academy uniform, the female version of the one I'm currently wearing. Despite mine being literally brand new, her uniform seemed to actually be in better condition. She gazed at me with no-nonsense face that wouldn't have been out of place on a stereotypical strict librarian, that if I had been anyone else, would have intimated me enough to guarantee my best behavior.

However, since my resurrection, I have seen Serafall break through her little sister's false exterior too many times to fall for it. Really, after seeing her run away in embarrassed tears while being chased by an apologetic magical girl, it's hard to picture Sona as an intimidating figure.

Though for her pride's sake, if nothing else, I was willing to at least pretend that the strict image has some effect on me.

"Considering your personal stance on rule breakers, I would have thought you would have personally dealt with those three since day one. That you've tolerated them for an entire year is something I wouldn't have believed if I hadn't seen it myself. Well, unless you have a soft spot for perverts that I was unaware of, Sona?"

And it's true, well, not the pervert part, but Sona's belief when it comes to rules. I have never seen a bigger stickler for the rules ever. I have even seen the teachers panic whenever they saw her coming, quickly checking themselves over to make sure that they aren't failing to meet her standard. I swear I once saw a terrified teacher leap into a janitor closet when he noticed Sona approaching and realized that he didn't button his shirt up properly.

I swear if my old friend and the student council president of my old school, Issei Ryuudou, was here, Sona would have ended up with a new admirer for her fan club as he would no doubt end upworshipping the ground Sona walked on from how well she does her job as the student president.

Then again, it may be a good thing he's not here. After all, I don't want to see how he'd react when he finds out he shares his name with someone from the perverted trio.

"Hardly," She scoffs out at the accusation as she adjusts her glasses. "If it was up to me I would have gotten rid of those troublemakers long ago. Unfortunately it's not up to me, at least not entirely. And Shirou, while I do not object to you referring to me by name outside of school grounds, when within it I would appreciate it if you were to refer to me as Kaichou."

"Whatever you say, Kaichou," though try as I might, I couldn't quite stop my humor from leaking out and coloring my tone as I said it. I swear I've been hanging around Serafall for too long, as I could not help but think how adorable little Sona looked when she was trying to act all grown up.

That I'm only a year older than Sona just goes to show how much Serafall has succeeded in corrupting me these last few months.

I ignored how Sona narrowed her eyes as she no doubt caught the humor in my voice but decided not to call me out on it and instead returned the conversation to the original topic.

"What do you mean it's not up to you?" I sat down on one of the foldable chairs that lined the walls of the student council and crossed my legs as I spoke, "Your family runs the entire school. No matter what big shots their parents might be, they shouldn't have anywhere near the power or influence to prevent you from expelling them. Even if they did somehow managed to keep the police from getting involved."

"I wished it were their parents that were the problem." She breathed out a sigh as she adjusted her glasses by its sides again, a habit that I knew she often demonstrated whenever she was irritated or thinking. "And you're mistaken; my family does not own the school. Or at least, they're not the only owners."

That stumped me for a moment, as I vividly remembered being told by Serafall herself that Kuoh Academy was a Devil owned school. She should know after all, she ended up buying it when she found out Sona was planning on attending.

In fact the only reason why she doesn't own the entire school outright was because another Devil ended up getting ahold of the remaining shareholders before she did and ended up buying the rest of the share.

Then the answer hit me like a slap to the face.

"Gremory." I tried to keep my voice neutral as I said that name, I really did, but I must have failed as I noticed a rare small smirk that made its way to Sona's usually stoic face.

"You really don't like the Gremorys, do you." This time it was her voice that was colored with amusement. "They're not as bad as you make them out to be. I would know, I've been friends with Rias for years after all."

"I have never met Rias so I will reserve my judgment until I do. And you're wrong; it's not the Gremorys I dislike. Just one particular Gremory that I'm not entirely fond of." And the less I thought of that prick the better. Only Archer was able to get under my skin as easily as he did.

Judging by the smirk that was still in place, she didn't seem to have entirely bought my reasoning. Fortunately she decided to drop the topic.

Making her way behind a desk, she drew out one of the chairs from under it and sat down. "Rias seems to have taken a bit of interest in those three. It appears that one of them is a Sacred Gear wielder and Rias plans to make him part of her peerage."

I couldn't quite hide my incredulity at that. Really, them? I haven't been here for a full day and even I have heard about them. I mean I literally had both students and staff pull me aside and warn me about them to make sure I won't get mixed up with the wrong crowd.

Apparently the Perverted Trio have plans on becoming the Perverted Quartet. It seems that whenever a new male student, whether a freshmen or a transfer student, comes to Kuoh, they do their best to invite them into their little group.

Well, as long as they weren't too good looking, that is. In the end, the others were right in trying to warn me as they instantly tried to recruit me in their group by inviting me to go peeping with them the moment they set eyes on me.

…Wait a minute. I'm pretty sure I should be offended for some reason.

However, at the clear skepticism on my face Sona's frown became a little more pronounced as she gave me a sharp nod in agreement.

There is no surprise that Sona would disapprove of recruiting any of those three into her peerage. After all, in the underworld a peerage is supposed to be a representative of one's King. Good or bad, everything a peerage does will reflect on their King's reputation. And with a reputation like theirs, well…

Not to mention that if those three are having this much trouble controlling their lust as humans, there is no telling how horrible they'll be once they're turned to devils.

Plus I had my own doubts about the possibility of one of them bearing a Sacred Gear. Sacred Gear owners are not chosen at random, but instead Sacred Gears are matched to souls that best match the Gears nature. That is the reason why so many Sacred Gear users often end up with personalities that resemble their Sacred Gears.

I couldn't completely repress the shudder that ran through me at the thought. It was terrifying to contemplate what kind of Sacred Gear those three must have when considering how they behave.

As I looked up to find Sona looking back at me with half understanding and half revolted eyes, I knew that she must have already contemplated the same thing I did and shared my fear.

She once again adjusted her glasses as she spoke, "I have of course tried to dissuade her from her current course of action but it has proven a fruitless endeavor so far." She released an exasperated sigh. "I'm afraid as long as I have known her Rias has always been a stubborn one, even as a child. Once she decided on a course of action, there is no persuading her."

Sona hesitated for a moment as a faint coating of red, so light that I only caught it because I was staring straight at her, made it's way onto her checks as she blushed before she visibly steeled herself and carried on, "And as I can't think of any way of putting this delicately, I'll just come out and say it. Rias is a nudist."

If I was drinking anything at the moment, Sona would have undoubtedly bore witness to me doing a perfect spit take. Instead I just choked on air for a moment as I gaped in disbelief at her.

Sona's blush only deepened under the force of my incredulous stare despite the rest of her features remaining in her usual neutrally-stern state that she always wore. That's it, if I had any doubts about the legitimacy of her statements, they were gone as soon as I noticed how hard she tried not to blush.

"W-What?" I sputtered.

"She a nudist, in fact they all are. The whole Gremory clan is a bunch of nudists." It was as if once the flood gates has finally opened, she just couldn't stop, the words just came pouring out of her. "If you think that's bad, imagine how it was like for me when I accidently discovered this at a sleep over when I was just twelve. I saw my best friend's brother, the bloody Maou Lucifer himself, walk out of the bathroom stark naked and his only reaction was to ruffle my hair as he walked on by while wishing me good morning. Do you understand how weird that was? Now every time I hear some curse about 'by Lucifer's balls', I literally have a mental image of them pop up because that memory of his actual balls was seared into my adolescent mind."

By the time she had finished, Sona was panting for breath. Her shoulders were raising and falling with each breath from how fast she tried to get through that little rant of hers, while her face was flushed red from a mix of exertion and embarrassment.

After taking a moment to catch her breath, she quickly began to collect herself. Sitting straight up, she give a quick tug to her shirt to straighten out any wrinkles before clearing her throat, "Sorry about that."

"…You've wanted to get that off your chest for a while now, haven't you?

She gave a quick but sharp nod in response, "You have no idea."

An awkward silence hung between as Sona no doubt mentally reprimanded herself over her outburst and while I tried my very best to purge the image of a naked Sirzechs waving his dong in front of a traumatized twelve year old Sona from my mind.

I failed, oh how I failed.

Thankfully the sound of the chair being pushed across the floor as Sona stood up was able to break me out of my morbid thoughts.

"Anyway," She made her way towards a small chess table while she spoke. "That's the reason why Rias isn't bothered by the Perverted Trio's behavior. In her mind it isn't a big deal to be seen naked, she actually finds the lengths they'd go to do so rather amusing." A disapproving frown made its way back to her face. "From her point of view, it's the girls who are overreacting. As I only control half the school I simply do not have the authority to expel them since Rias has the right to veto any of my decisions and vise-versa, at least when it comes to school matters. While I can force the issue if I wished, I'll be forced to owe Rias a favor, which is something I'm unwilling to do over such a minor issue as those three."

Pulling out a rather comfortable looking wooden chair from under the chess table, a clear step up in quality compared to the rest of furniture in the room, Sona took a seat while indicating for me to seat myself on the other one. I quickly complied with her silent request and soon found myself seated across Sona with a chess set between us.

It was at this moment that my mind had finally been rebooted from where it had still been clogged by images of a naked Sirzechs and realized that I had just willingly placed a chess set between Sona and myself.

I was about to get my butt kicked, wasn't I… very badly at that.

Chess, well, let's just say it's not quite one of my strong points and leave it at that. I'm not exactly terrible at it. It's just that I'd never really played it before I became a devil. Being Japanese, Kiritsugu was always more interested in Shogi than chess, and the only person in my age group that was interesting in strategy board games was Issei, and he was a Go player.

Sona on the other hand is said to have been born with a chess piece in hand. Even in the underworld, where the average age of players is measured in centuries, Sona is famed for being one of the greatest living chess players, despite just turning eighteen herself.

She was able to get out of an arranged marriage with a former suitor, who was apparently an avid chess fanatic and an amateur chess champion, by gambling her hand over a game of chess. The suitor jumped at the chance at what he perceived as a riskless method to solidify his marriage arrangement and needless to say she wiped the floor with him.

For someone reason I simply can't comprehend, the entire Devil race seems to be obsessed with chess. I simply could not understand it. I mean, it would have made sense if they enjoyed strategy board games in general, but as far as I can tell, outside of chess, Devils have no interest in them at all.

Serafall told me it's due to how similar chess is to the Rating Games, an incredibly popular sport not just in the underworld, but the supernatural world as a whole, which in my opinion is more bull than one of Kotomine's sermons.

Chess and battlefield have almost nothing in common, anyone who set foot on the battlefield can tell you that much.

But that isn't important right now….right now I need to think of way to avoid getting my ass kicked by a teenage girl that probably weights less than a hundred pounds when soaking wet.

During my short existence as a devil, I have learned one golden rule that seems to be able to get me out of almost anything. When in doubt, ask yourself, what would Serafall do?

…It's at a time like this I realized how messed up my life's become. If someone told me just a year ago that I would one day be willing to try to emulate a Demon Lord that loves to cosplay as a magical girl to get me out of trouble, I would have asked what the hell have they done to piss Zelretch off.

"Enough about that," Sona's voice drew me from my thoughts, "as enjoyable as discussing school politics with you is, that is not the reason why I invited you here."

She waved a hand over the chess set, "I have a few questions that only you'd be able to answer. And while we talk, I hope that you'd be willing to indulge me with a game of chess."

No doubt taking note of the hesitant expression I wore on my face as I eyed the chess pieces, she raised an eyebrow at me. "You do know how to play….don't you?"

"Of course I do." I reassured her as I finally figured out a way out of this mess. "It's just I'm still rather new at it and there is a couple of rules that I'm not quite clear on, I was hoping that you'll clarify them for me."

"Certainly," She nodded, "What do you need me to clarify?"

"Well, just to make sure," I reached out and picked up the knight piece, "The horsey is the one that goes two step forwards and one to the side, right?"

The rest of the student council members, who so far were pretending to be busy with paper work while eavesdropping on our conversation, broke out laughing at my comment.

I could see Sona try and fight to keep her stoic mask in place as she glared at me, but judging by the way the corners of her mouth kept twitching upwards, she couldn't quite pull it off.

I know it was rather mean of me, but I did promise Serafall I'd try to break Sona out of her shell from time to time and make sure she at least has some fun.

Besides, while I hated to admit it, Serafall was right, teasing Sona was so much fun. When she gets like this and stares at me over the rim of her glasses, she resembles nothing more than a little kitten trying to give you a death glare. It just makes her that much cuter.

I wonder if this was how Rin felt like when she teased me. If so, I finally understand why she did it so often, this was hilarious.

She tried to hold her glare on me for a moment longer before she gave up with a sigh and allowed a wry smile to make its way to her face, "I see, my sister has been rubbing off on you."

It was sad, but true. There was no way I could have stuck with Serafall for so long without having some of her habits rub off on me.

I shamelessly nodded my head, "When it comes to Serafall it's either fight her or join her and well, you should know better than anyone well how impossible it is to defy her for long." She gave me an understanding look at that.

"Now," I set down my knight piece back on its proper place on the board. "I believe you have some questions for me."

Obviously noting the shift in my voice, Sona straightened her posture and looked me in the eye as she spoke. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Now, don't take this the wrong, Shirou, but why are you even here?"

"What, do I need a reason to go to school?" I deflected. I had nothing to hide, but that didn't mean I was gonna make it easy for her. Besides, I know Sona loves to play these kinds of mind games and would rather put the pieces together herself than just have me outright tell her. "Just because I'm a Devil now doesn't mean I want to be known as a high school dropout. I never did get the chance to graduate before I was reincarnated."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." The light glinted off her glasses as she adjusted it. "What I want to know is what you're doing here, as in the human world, rather than simply entering a Devil high school instead or even just studying at home."

Sona flicked a finger and Tsubaki, Sona's Queen and the student council vice-president, appeared by her side and handed her a sheet of paper.

Without even looking at it Sona held the sheet out towards me, "This, Shirou, is the result of your placement test. Since you didn't have any transfer papers we had to test you to measure your level of education. Do you know what you scored?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me." Not even bothering to reach for the paper.

Again she didn't even bother to glance at the paper as she focused her entire attention on me, "You passed."

"Passed?" I cocked my head in confusion. "I thought it was a placement test, how can I pass? Do you mean that I made into senior year?

She watched me carefully, probably assessing my sincerity, before apparently deciding I was being serious, "No," She shook her head. "I meant that you passed, as in you passed high school. According to your results, you can sit your graduation exams right this instant and pass with a solid B. Better if worked on your social studies and modern literature grades."

Really? Now isn't that a pleasant surprise for once. I've always been a pretty diligent student, but it's been a while since I've last been to school. Despite all the last minute cramming I've been doing since I've been told I'd come here, I wasn't quite confident on how well I'd do. Seems like I ended up getting myself all worked up over nothing again after all.

"So let me ask you again. Shirou, why are you here? If education was all that mattered, you would be better off in a university rather than a high school."

"I could ask the same thing of you, Sona. From what I've heard your education level is so much higher than high school level, that you're probably not learning anything from any of your classes, are you? That you're taking several additional online university courses on the side is a proof of that."

Going by the look of astonishment on the faces of the rest of the student council members, it seems none of them were aware of this. Sona on the other hand didn't seem surprised that I knew. Then again, considering that Serafall was my master, it wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that she was the one who told me.

Serafall has always been a proud older sister after all. Hardly a day goes by without her bragging about her little 'So-tan's' achievements.

"Not that it matters, but the reason why I decided to remain in high school is because I believe there are some things that cannot be taught in a classroom or learned from the pages of a book. Byfulfilling my duties as a Student President and interacting with peers my own age I have learned things that I would have never learned otherwise.

"Now, stop stalling and answer me, Shirou. Why are you here?" Judging by the way she glared at me, it didn't look like she'd allow me to deflect again.

I just gave her a shrug in response. "Why are you asking me a question whose answer you already know?"

She stilled for a moment before asking, "My sister sent you here, didn't she?"

I didn't bother replying, I doubt she expected me to anyway.

Sona didn't seem to surprise by my response, or lack of it, just upset. She removed her frames from her face and pinched the bridge of her nose as she exhaled loudly. Through I kept my eyes on her, I noticed from the edge of my sight how the rest of the Council froze at her reaction.

Sona maintained her pose for a few seconds, before with one final exhale through her nose, she retuned her frames to its proper place, folded her arms before her and looked straight at me.

"When I persuaded our parents to allow me to attend Kuoh Academy, my sister promised me that she wouldn't interfere. As much as I love her, I will never be able to grow if she tries to hold my hand at everything I do, and Kuoh was supposed to be an opportunity for me to experience life on my own. To learn how to take care of myself without my family backing me every step of the way or for my sister to save me the moment something goes wrong." When she first started, she spoke in her usual calm manner, but slowly her control started to slip. She didn't quite shout or even approached anything near that level but considering how even-tempered Sona usually was, for her this was the equivalent of throwing a temper tantrum.

"I am the sole heir of the Sitri clan, one of the few remaining pillars, and one day I'll be expected to lead the entire clan and all its territory. Yet how does she expect me to do that if she won't even trust me to run one little school."

"When I first informed her about coming here, she told me she understood that and, while she didn't like me so far away from her, would respect my decision and would wholeheartedly support me. So far, except for occasionally sending a familiar to check up on me, she has kept that promise."

"Until now.

So tell me, Emiya Shirou, why has my sister decided to back out of her promise!"

"Whoa, wait a second. I think you're misunderstanding something here." I quickly stopped her before this misunderstanding gets any further out of hand than it already does. I knew teenage girls can be a little bit emotionally fickle sometimes, but I always thought Sona was an exception to that rule.

I swear, these two sisters will be the death of me. Though they appeared to be complete opposites, they still had so much in common. The fact that both of their hot button topics were each other just proves it.

"While it's true that your sister sent me here on a mission, I promise you that other than the fact that it's happening in your territory, it doesn't have anything to do with you at all."

"If that's the case then tell me what your mission is."

"I can't tell you—NO, wait, I really can't," I quickly interject as soon as I noticed her face beginning to darken. "It's classified, other than those who are directly participating in it, only the Maou and their Peerage are authorized to know about it." Which was the honest truth, I wasn't supposed to tell anyone what I was doing here unless I had to.

Sona scrutinized me through her glasses, no doubt looking for even the slightest hint of deceit. After what felt like a small eternity, she relented. She seemed to almost deflate before slumping over slightly as she sat back down again. After a moment she looked up at me and, with a slightly embarrassed look on her face, gave me a weary smile.

"Sorry," She mumbled out, "It's just…"

"Don't worry," I said as I waved her apology, "I understand."

And I really did. I could completely understand where she's coming from. After all, to her it must have been a minor miracle for her sister to leave her alone for this long, especially when you consider how incredibly overprotective Serafall can be.

Then to have me, a member of her Peerage, arrive out of nowhere without any warning or reason, it's no surprise that she jumped to conclusions. It was only natural for her to be suspicious of how compliant Serafall has been of her demands so far.

Unfortunately for her, her paranoia is well founded.

At any given time, there are approximately two dozen highly skilled devils who were assigned by both Sirzechs and Serafall to patrol the border of the city and preventing anything too dangerous from wondering in.

Really, that Sona was willing to believe that both she and the Gremory girl would have been left unguarded even for a moment, just goes to show that she can be quite naïve at times despite all of her intelligence.

Even if you were willing to ignore that they were both the heirs to two of the most important families in the underworld, they were still the beloved sisters to the leaders of all Devilkind, the Maou, and they honestly expected themselves to be left unguarded while they remain on earth? That's the equivalent of leaving the President's daughters unprotected in a politically unstable country. It's just not going to happen.

Still, I have no intention of letting her find out about this, not from me at least. No way I'm gonna let myself be dragged into that mess.

"Anyway," I began after of a quick clearing of my throat, "while I can't give out any details, I can at least assure you that I'm not here to babysit you. I was in fact given explicit orders not to interfere in any way unless it was a matter of life or death. Anything short of that and I'm not allowed to get involved."

"I see." Despite the near perfect poker face she was wearing, it was clear that Sona was rather pleased with this news. "Yet that doesn't explain why you're here in particular, as in this school. I doubt whatever assignment you're on required you to pose as a high school student."

I nodded my head at that, "That true, but I wasn't lying when I said I never had the chance to graduate."

That had always irritated me for some reason. While it's true that neither my past ambition of becoming a Hero or my current reality of living as a Devil would benefit from me formally getting my high school diploma, the thought of never graduating, especially after all the years of work I put into it, just irks me. Especially since I only had a few more month of my formal education left.

Plus, there is only so many times I can take Serafall teasing me by calling me a high school drop out before I started to get the hint. You couldn't tell by looking at her, but Serafall takes education quite seriously.

"Part of the reason why I'm actually here is as a cover. Anyone looking will most likely come to the same conclusion as you did when they realize that I was attending the same school as my master's sister and not dig any deeper after that."

"That's a likely assumption." Sona nodded her head in agreement but then paused. She tilted her head in thought and looked at me, "You said 'part', so is there another reason why you're attending Kuoh?"

"Ah, well." I couldn't help but scratch my cheek in embarrassment at that, "Apparently Serafall wanted us to get to know each other better."

Whether at my words or my obvious embarrassment, Sona gave me a faint smile. "I'd like that."

Before the moment could become any more awkward, or embarrassing, I quickly changed the subject.

"Anyway," taking a moment to clear my throat, I subtly tried to scan the room for something to talk about, and found one as my eyes landed on the chess set before me. "I heard that you're almost old enough to qualify for the rating games. Do you plan on participating in this year's Young Devils Gathering?"

The knowing smile on her face told me she knew exactly what I was trying to do, but decided to play along anyway. "As a matter of fact I do. I'm not sure if you've heard, but there is going to be an unusually high number of heirs qualifying for this year's gathering. It will be the perfect chance for me to test myself and prove my worth to the rest of the underworld. Plus Rias definitely plans to enter and there is no way I'm going to allow her to get one up on me."

Despite Sona's surprisingly childish attitude when it comes to her well-known rivalry with the Gremory heir, I couldn't fault the rest of her reasoning. "And what do you think your odds of winning are?"

"Truthfully?" she asked which I nodded. "Zero."

"Oh~?" Despite my questioning tone, I couldn't help but smile in approval at her response. Unlike many of the younger Devils, or even the older ones, Sona has no overly delusions of grandeur when it comes to her combat abilities. "Why would you say that? Don't you have any confidence in your Peerage's abilities?"

"Not at all," There was no hesitation in her replay, "I have the utmost confidence that my Peerage's is more than able to handle anything that they end up facing."

Around us, Sona's Peerage practically preened from her praise, even as they continued to pretend not to listen as they tried to maintain their charade of working.

Masking my smile at their hijinks, I asked, "So, what's the problem then?"

"The 'problem', as you put it, is the competition." She pushed her glasses by the bridge of the frame up her nose as she spoke, causing it to flash as it reflected the light, "I already mentioned that this year's gathering will be unusually large, well, consequently it's also going to be unusually fierce."

Pausing for a moment, she momentarily shut her eyes and gathered her thoughts, before continuing, "Like every gathering, there are several strong devils among this year contenders, but there are two that stand out head and shoulders above the crowd."

Lifting one finger in the air, "First, there is Riser Phenex. Despite being well-known as a playboy and minor troublemaker, Riser is undeniably a genius when it comes to using his family's flames. His regeneration is at the level that would have taken most Phenex's the better part of a century to reach, and he's barely over twenty years old.

"The matches he's participated in this year is proof of this. Despite that the majority of his Peerage consist of members with substandard combat abilities, he has won all eight of the matches he's fought in and emerged without a single wound to show for it. Three out of the eight opponents he's faced simply resigned when they realized that none of their attacks were able to harm him even after he invited them to attack.

"That doesn't even take his sister into the equation. While less talented in her control over the Phoenix flames than her brother, she more than makes up for it with her intelligence. Ravel Phenex is a first class tactician with a gift in small-scale strategy that I can honestly say rivals mine."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Coming from Sona that was quite a high praise indeed.

"While Riser has a more laissez-faire approach to managing his Peerage in battle, which basically consists of him just sitting back and doing nothing, Ravel takes a more hands-on approach.

"Though she doesn't directly fight herself, she often leads a handful of peerages to combat the enemy and coordinates them all, while she stands back and assesses the enemy's battle style for threats and weaknesses. Under her leadership they were able to win two matches without having Raiser get involved at all.

"Together they form a formidable team that covers each other's weak points rather well. While they do have some rather large flaws that can be exploited, the raw power of two high class devils in one team makes it almost impossible for any team in their age group to take advantage of it."

I nodded my head in agreement to her assessment. I knew most of this information already of course, but I had a feeling she was explaining this to her Peerage just as much as she was to me. Plus while I knew why it was unlikely for her to win, I wanted to see if her reasons matched mine, so I made sure not to interrupt her explanation.

"While I have never met them or seen any of their matches, I've heard the Phenex siblings are one of the favorites in this year's match." I added, "Second only to him of course."

Sona nodded solemnly, "Yes, him," she raised up a second finger, "Sairaorg Beal, the strongest of the young Devils.

"He was born with neither skill nor talent, and even failed to inherit the power of his bloodline, the Power of Destruction. By Devil's standards, he was born a cripple. With such handicaps, he should have been a weakling that would be incapable of fighting even low class Devils, let alone high class ones.

"But apparently someone failed to tell Sairaorg that, because over the last three years he crushed every high class devil born in the last century and at least half of the ones born before in one-on-one duels.

"Now he is the closest among the younger generation to becoming the next Satan, a Maou." Sona shook her head in disbelief, "Honestly, the only way for Sairaorg to lose is if he decided to fight the entire tournament alone without his peerage, and even then I'm not entirely sure that he wouldn't win."

The scary thing is that she wasn't even exaggerating, if anything she was understating things. Sairaorg was a monster, pure and simple. Devils usually take centuries of training to reach Ultimate Class level, and that's with the power they inherited from their Clan. This guy did it before he was twenty when he was considered a cripple magic-wise.

After finally finishing her explanation, Sona lowered her hand. "And that's why realistically, I don't believe I have any real chance of winning. With only one of them entering it would still have been difficult, a long shot. Both? My chances have dropped so far below zero, it practically became an imaginary number. Especially when you take into account that they both have completed their Peerages and I'm still in the process of building mine.

"If this year's gathering wasn't so important, I would honestly consider delaying my debut for another year, but unfortunately that would have made me look like a coward and as an heir I can't allow my reputation to be damaged in such a way."

I couldn't help but feel a stirring of pride at her analysis. While it wasn't word for word, Serafall had basically told me the same thing and for mostly the same reasons. Looks like my master's little sister is gonna turn out just fine.

Unfortunately though, while most of what she said is accurate, it's also incomplete.

I had to bite back a grimace. Though I hate playing the bad guy, it's for her own good. Ah, well. Time to clear up some misconceptions.

"Even if you don't expect to win, I hope that doesn't mean you intend to lose."

Sona smirked at me. "Hardly," she replied, "while first place is impossible, it is still possible for me to rank pretty high. I have scouted the other participants and have found that the majority of them are hardly a threat at all. The few that are, I have already prepared a basic strategy to counter them if I ever end up playing against them."

"So you expect to end up doing pretty well then?"

"I do." There was no hesitation.

"How well?"

"I estimate that as long as I don't get unlucky and end up facing either Phenex or Sairaorg in one of the earlier rounds, I would have a fair chance of winning fourth place, maybe higher if I end up getting lucky."

I deliberately let out a quite snort in response.

And naturally Sona caught it.

"You disagree?" She asked while cocking an eyebrow.

"Yes," Well, here comes the tough love part. You owe me for this, Serafall, "you won't make it anywhere near that far."

"Why do you believe that?"

"Because you're too weak."

It was incredible how much more silent the already quite room became as everyone in the council room just froze. Sona went rigid in surprise so fast that it looked like she was electrocuted, hell, even her Queen Tsubaki's jaw dropped in disbelief.

For a human, what I said wouldn't have been too bad. Even for a Devil, a race that prided itself on its strength and power, it would have been only mildly insulting. Well, that would have been true if Pride wasn't this Devil's chosen deadly sin.

Pride, Sona's weakness of the seven. And I, someone who was practically one step away from being her family, just stomped on it, in front of her entire Peerage. A little harsh, I admit, but there were few better ways to gain someone's attention and make them listen, and I mean truly listen than to hurt their pride.

"Why, you bastard, apologi-", the only male in the student council, a blond haired kid, charged straight at me before being stopped by Sona's raised hand.

Never taking her eyes off me, she scrutinized me for the better part of a minute before deciding to speak.

"Explain yourself, Emiya." She growled out at me, glaring murder all the while. Once again her attempt at intimidation made her look nothing more than a murderous little kitty. So freaking cute, I swear I'm never doubting Serafall again.

In response I simply waved my hand over the table between us, "This right here, Sona, is why you're weak."

Judging by the baffled looks I was receiving, they looked like they were listening to me at least. Good, that will make things easier then.

"Chess?" For once it wasn't Sona who asked the question, but her Queen Tsubaki, "You're saying the Kaichou's weakness is chess? But she's amazing in it."

"That's not what I meant," though I replied to Tsubaki's question, I didn't take my eyes off Sona as I spoke. "And it's not just your Kaichou's, but also Devil kind as a whole."

Pointing at the chess set in front of me, "Tell me, Sona, what does Chess and Rating games have in common? And I'm talking about the fighting aspect, not the superficial stuff like names and titles."

If Sona was in any way thrown off by my line of questioning, she didn't show it. She just stared at the board game for a few seconds before looking back up at me, "I'm not exactly sure what you're asking me, Shirou."

"Let me rephrase it for you this way," I crossed my arms before me as I leaned back into my chair. "What exactly do chess and battle have in common?"

This time she didn't bother to glance at the chess board but focused all her attention on me, as she contemplated the question.

"Normally I would answer something like strategy or tactics," she began, "but I have a feeling that isn't the answer you're looking for."

I nodded my head at her answer. A little bit naïve maybe, but no one had ever accused Sona of being stupid, that's for sure.

"The answer is simple, almost nothing at all."

I had already lifted my hand up to stop the retort that Sona would have undeniably replied with before I even finished my sentence. Sure enough, Sona already had her mouth opened before she stopped herself.

"Now, I'm not claiming that Chess isn't useful for developing strategic thinking or planning, which it undoubtedly does, only that it's use in developing battle skill is greatly overvalued in modern Devil society." I continued after making sure I wasn't going to get interrupted. "In fact, outside of basic strategy, it shares almost nothing in common with real life warfare.

"And yet Devils as a whole seem to worship it as the ideal war game simulator. The amount of hype Devils seem to pile up on chess is so ridiculous, that it has actually started to negatively affect the fighting potential of the younger generation of Devils."

"For example," I raised a single finger, "There is a military term known as 'information uncertainty'. It's when you're unsure how accurate the information you have on the enemy, or a situation where you don't even have any information at all. That is a key aspect on any battlefield and something that simply doesn't exist in chess." I added another second finger. "Then there is the amount of forces each side has. In chess, no matter your skill level, your starting pieces are equal in number and strength, which is a completely ridiculous scenario in real life, one that will never occur."

I quickly added a third, fourth and fifth finger to the others. "Then there is a terrain and weather advantage, communication problems, panic and morale among the soldiers." I then formed my hand into a fist. "And perhaps the most important lesson at all, Chess doesn't teach you when to run away. Victory is always possible in Chess, in real life, sometimes all you can do is run. Sometimes it's much better to retreat than stand and fight till you die a meaningless death. This simple lesson, learning when to run, is one that too many young people fail to ever learn until it's too late."

I know, I know. This coming from a guy who willingly fought Gilgamesh and other Servants as a human probably makes it the most hypocritical thing I've ever said, but it doesn't make it any less true.

Finally I lowered my hand.

"Chess, Sona," I continued after I allowed my words a few seconds to sink in, "is a great starting point for developing your skills as a strategist, but if you cling to it for too long it will only end up limiting you. And that is something that is already happening to you."

I spread my arms and indicated the entire room with a wave, "Your choice of Peerage is a perfect example of this."

Anger, genuine barely restrained anger, flooded her face as she all but hissed at me, "Watch your next words, Shirou. Or even your master won't be able to save you."

I was barely able to bite back a smile at her response and even then I only succeeded because I was sure she'd misinterpret it.

Heh, I knew there was a reason why I liked this girl.

She was angrier with me over the slight of her peerage than when I insulted her. This means she has more Pride in them than herself. For all their apparent differences, the more I get to know these two sisters, the more similar they are.

I raised both my hands up in front of me in a placating manner, "Now, now, calm down. That's not what I meant. I didn't intend for you to take what I said as an insult toward your Peerage."

"Then what exactly do you mean, Shirou?" While she didn't quite calm down, at least she doesn't look like she was making plans to rip my head off anymore.

"Your peerage, they're a reflection of how you fight."

That at least was able to throw her off enough to knock the wind out of her sails.

Before she even got the chance to ask, I answered. "They're all like chess pieces. No, to be more precise, they're more like surgical knives."

I glanced around the room at all seven members of her Peerage.

"Even with just a glance I can tell that almost everyone in this room was chosen not for their raw fighting abilities. Instead you picked them for their abilities to counter your enemies' strength or to exploit their weaknesses." I gave them a slow knowing nod when I saw how their eyes widened in surprise at how close I hit the mark. No doubt they were wondering how I was able to figure that out just by looking at them. In truth I knew most of this from the reports Serafall gave me, but they didn't need to know that. "Like a craftsman choosing his tool, you picked every piece in your peerage in preparation to exploit any situation that you find yourself in.

"Now, that is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact I can honestly say that many Peerages can benefit from adopting your approach."

"Then what the heck is the problem?" The blond hair boy yelled out. Well, I at least figured out who the loud mouth of the group is.

"The problem is that you took it too far. Your plan of creating a Peerage that can adapt to every scenario has ended up creating a bunch of potentially fatal weaknesses." I addressed my words to Sona. "The first and the most obvious one is, your entire attack plan requires information on the enemy to work. You can't exploit their weaknesses or nullify their strengths if you don't know what they are. Without detailed and accurate data on your enemy, your entire attack strategy falls apart.

"In a war reliable information is a scarce resource.

"What method have you prepared for scouting information on the battlefield? Other than familiars, which are easily stopped, or your family information network, which is only geared towards Devils, you have no efficient method of getting the information you'll need to win."

"Sure," I waved a hand flippantly in the air, "in a Rating game it might be possible to gather information on your enemy, but it's equally possible for you to miss something. I'm sure more than one Devil will have one or two hidden trump cards in their deck.

"Most importantly," I looked Sona straight in the eye, "never forget that rating games are supposed to be a simulation of a real war. There is no point in learning techniques that can only work in what is basically nothing more than a popular game, but is ineffective in a real fight where actual lives are at stake."

I paused to make sure the last statement sank in. If nothing else, I hope that she will at least take that lesson to heart, it may just end up saving her life one day.

"The second key mistake is the lack of raw fighting strength in your Peerage. It's all well and good to try to exploite your enemy weakness, but there is no point to it when you're too weak to take advantage of said weakness."

Seeing the looks of confusion on some of the Peerage members, I tried to think of a better way to explain it. "Hmm, give me a second to think of an example." I leaned back into my chair as I ransacked my brain for a good method to explain. "Ah, got one!" I exclaimed while punching the palm of my hand. I'm gonna have to change the details of the fight quite a bit, but it will do.

"A few years ago, I had to fight a very powerful witch. For convenience sake let's just call her Caster for now. Anyway, the biggest problem I had was actually hitting her. For all her magical prowess she was rather fragile, so a single solid blow would take her out for the count. Yet she was a fairly fast opponent, almost as fast as a knight, but the real problem appeared when she demonstrated her teleportation ability. She could jump from one place to another in a heartbeat, only needing a couple of seconds at most to cast the spell.

"What made it worse, she was an incredibly powerfully mage. Each of her spells was capable of bring down a small building and she can cast dozens of them simultaneously. At times when she went on an all-out attack, it almost felt like it was raining spells."

That memory brought a grimace to my face. She was probably the most annoying opponent I had to fight in the entire war. I mean, sure, Saber had an A class magic resistance, but I sure as hell didn't!

"So the entire fight she would simply snipe us. She'd teleport to the top of a building a couple of hundred yards away and just bombard us with spells. There was no point finding cover, because her spells would just plow right through it. Whenever we tried to rush her she'd just teleport away and we couldn't sneak up on her because she littered the place with familiars that would inform her whenever someone was sneaking up on her." Saber may have thought of them as low-quality, but those Dragon Tooth Warriors were a pain, they made it impossible to sneak up on her.

"To make matters worse Caster was a prodigy of magic, on a scale I have never seen before, so magical based attacks or abilities were completely worthless against her." I pointedly looked at two of the Council members, Sona's two bishops, a long black haired girl and a brunet with braids. "So that invisibility spell you're so fond of will be less than worthless against her." I turned back towards Sona.

"So what will you do?" I questioned, "You are capable of harming her but not reaching her. Even your fastest peerage member has no chance of reaching her in time before she teleports away. None of your spells or magical tricks that your peerage specializes in will work on her. All the while she's raining spells down on you that will end up taking your peerage out one by one if you don't finish her soon." I gave her time to think it through. "So what will you do?"

As I watched her ponder the problem, a thought hit me. "Ah, just to clarify. This is not a hypothetical scenario, Caster was as real as you or me and I wasn't exaggerating in the slightest when I described her combat abilities. She really was that strong." While it's true that the Casters class always had a bad rep of being weak in the Holy Grail wars, that was only because they were matched up against other heroic spirits. Compared to the standards of ordinary magi or even Devils, they were absolute monsters.

While Sona was still lost in thought, one of her Peerage members, a handsome looking blue haired girl raised her hand. I felt a little too much like a teacher as I indicated for her to speak, "You said you fought this 'Caster' person right?" Seeing my nod, she continued, "Well, seeing as you're here with us alive and well, you obvious must have won right? So how did you win?"

I broke out in a smile at that. Even though I knew it was my Pride getting to me, as I would never have even imagined myself behaving like this before, I couldn't resist a chance to show off one of my swords.

Plus, seeing as how Sona and the rest of the Peerage were watching me as they waited for my response, I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to hammer the lesson in.

I raised both of my hand before me palms facing upwards, as if I was holding something invisible within them, I began to project a sword.

Though perhaps calling it a projection is no longer accurate. In this world, one without Gaia's interference or degrading of magecraft, my swords have become something more than a mere projection. They may be copies still, but they're copies that would no longer fall so short from the original.

That was not all that changed with my magic. Since becoming a Devil, I no longer need an Aria to activate my circuits. That's because my circuits are always on. The amount of Od I now hold in my body was ridiculous. At a level that would make even Rin turn green with envy. That's not even mentioning the changes that my circuits have undergone.

Right now my circuits have reached a standard of quality that would have been impossible for a human to achieve. Nothing short of a Dead Apostle could channel anywhere near as much Prana as I was currently capable of. That was the reason why I no longer needed to close my circuits; they no longer even noticed the strain of being kept open. Plus as a devil I needed to have my Prana, or Mana as they refer to it here, flowing throughout my body to survive. Mana is apparently is the equivalent of blood for Devils, we need it to keep pumping through our body or we'd drop dead.

A web of lines formed over my hand for the briefest of instant, shaped in an outline of a sword, before with a flash of light, it was replaced with the real thing.

Exclamation of surprise and startlement came from all around me, which I ignored as I looked down at the sword that I held in my hands.

_Caladbolg II: The Fake Spiral Sword_

It was a modified sword, one that never existed in real life, at least not in its current form. Based on the demonic sword wielded by the Irish hero, Fergus mac Róich, it had been altered to become more aerodynamic so that it may be fired from a bow.

Honestly I'm not entirely sure if I could even refer to it as a sword anymore. Unlike most swords, the blade of this one was not straight or even curved, but spiraled around like a twister. It looked more like a revolving drill bit than anything. If not for the hilt that was attached to the end of this spiraling blade, I doubt anyone would have guessed it to be a sword.

Done with my examination of the sword, not that it needed one, my blades are always perfect, I looked up to find every person in the room staring alternatively at either the blade or me with expression ranging from absolute shock to one of wonder, as if I had performed a miracle worthy of Christ himself.

What? What is going on? Why are they acting so surprised? Something like this shouldn't surprise them, everyone here has seen magic before, and hell, they should all be capable of performing magic themselves. I mean, they're Devils for Hell's sake-

Oh~ right, Devils, forgot.

Devils are inherently beings born of magic. Unlike humans, who can easily survive or even thrive without even a drop of magic, Devils will drop dead without it. This makes them especially sensitive to magic and magical anomalies, far more than a human mage or magus could ever be. And what did I do inform of them? I summoned a Noble phantasm packed with so much power, that it's more that capable of wiping the entire school off the map in an instant.

From their point of view I had just summoned a sword that can tear down mountain tops with a single swing, from what appeared to be nothing but air. And I currently have that very same weapon of mass destruction draped across my lap like one would a cat.

Thinking about it that way, their surprise is starting to make a lot more sense.

Sona being the first to recover, not surprising considering she probably witnessed her sister do far more outrageous things growing up, was the one to ask the question they were all thinking. "Shirou," never taking her eyes off the Noble Phantasm, "what is that?"

"This?" I repeated as if I wasn't sure why she was asking, "This, Sona, is a sword."

"That's a sword?" The boy asked this time and the words came out of his throat in a strangled almost terrified whisper. Clearly he never experienced power even approaching this scale before. Most likely because he was only recently reincarnated. What I did was impressive, yes, but the supernatural world was full of monsters. Compared to what some of those beings are capable of, what I just did was nothing special.

"Well, yes and no," I answered, "To be accurate, it was a sword, now it's more of an arrow. It's called Caladbolg, and it was this weapon that was able to slay Caster"

Patting the side of the sword, careful not to cut my hand on the sharp edges, I explained. "This was my solution to the Caster scenario. Caladbolg, in the hands of a skilled archer, can basically be fired upon a target like an arrow." I traced a path on the coiling edge of the sword. "You see how the blade corkscrews, when fired, it will cause the sword to spiral so fast that it can penetrate any target by creating a twisting distortion in space. The effect was so powerful that it tore thought Caster's magical defense like paper and was so fast that she didn't have enough time to even try to teleport. Even if she had, I honestly believe that she would have been twisted along with the space anyway."

Ok, I admit. I basically ripped this move from Archer, but so what? He was essentially me anyway; you can't plagiarize from yourself, now can you?

"Wait, wait," I was interrupted by blondie again as he pointed an accusing finger at me. Seems I was right in pinning him as the loud mouth. "You have a Sacred Gear too?"

I smiled at that, it wasn't a bad assumption by any means. It made sense too. No magic was able to craft swords out of thin air, at least not of this quality. Sacred Gears on the other hand were famous for doing things that were supposed to be impossible, magically or otherwise. It was, at least to them, the only thing that could explain what I had done.

It wasn't a bad assumption, but that still didn't make it the right one.

"No, I don't." I told him, and left it at that. It'll give them something to ponder on.

"Anyway, back to the original topic. Sona," She looked up from her examination of the blade, "this was my solution to Caster. An extremely powerful non-magical long-range attack. When I found I didn't have the speed to get close to her, nor the magic to match hers, I relied on the pure destructive power of this weapon to win."

"So answer me, Sona," finally getting back to the original question, "how would you have dealt with Caster if you and your Peerage had to face her as you currently are?"

This time I made sure not to interrupt Sona as she pondered the dilemma. I merely sat back and watched her think. Sona was a smart girl, far smarter than me if I was being honest. I had no doubt she'd figure out what I was trying to tell her on her own.

The fatal weakness of Sona's Peerage is the pure lack of fire power. I wasn't exaggerating when I said that this world was filled with monsters. Ones so powerful, that no amount of strategizing or planning can let you defeat them, simply because most people just lacked the strength to even scratch them, let alone actually injure them.

Compared to them Caster was nothing more than a fly. Yet Sona didn't even have anywhere near the power to defeat her.

Even that Gremory girl's Peerage had a better chance against Caster. Though I doubt she'd win considering how cunning Caster was, but in a straight head-to-head battle she'll at least have a fighting chance. With her Power of Destruction and her knight, who was reported to be one of the fastest Devils alive, there was the real, if small, possibility of them winning.

With Sona, even that small possibility doesn't exist.

"Shirou," Sona called out, knocking me out from my thoughts. I looked up to find her watching me with a rather suspicious look on her face. "You've been taking a great deal of interest on my Peerage today, almost unusually so. In fact I can't even remember a single occasion where you actually brought up the topic before." I resisted the urge to look away from her violet eyes that she locked onto me. "So, why the sudden interest?"

Now, you see, that's the problem with smart people. They make it almost impossible to sneak anything past them.

I shrugged, "Isn't it only natural to talk about Peerages after you brought up the Young Devils Gathering?"

"Actually," if anything my attempt in deflection just seemed to have made her even more suspicious, "I'm pretty sure it was you who brought it up."

"Did I?" Crap, I'm not even sure if that's true or not. "I honestly can't recall."

"Shirou, enough." She crossed her arms and glowered at me. "Just tell me what you're up to."

Ah well, looks like the jig is up. Even if I've gotten better at it recently, I've never been any good at this subtle manipulation stuff.

I rubbed my hand through my hair a couple of times as I looked away, "Well, it just since the Gathering is only a few months away I just thought you could use a hand in getting yourself ready, that's all."

She actually looked surprised at that. "You want to train us?" Her frames slipped down her nose as she said that. Huh, I guess, whatever it was she was suspecting me to say, it wasn't this.

"Pretty much," I crossed my arms and nodded at that. "So what do you say, want me to help out?"

For a long while she just sat there, staring at me in disbelief before she slumped back in her seat with a sigh. She took off her glasses and began massaging the bridge of her nose, "My sister put you up to this, didn't she?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement.

"What?! No! Of course not." My denial was so over the top that I doubt even a kindergartener would have believed me. "She will never do that, never. Especially since she knows that her beloved little sister would never accept anything from her if she believes it might be taken as favouritism. On the other hand sometime over the last month she gained the most peculiar habit of talking to herself out loud. She kept repeating the same thing too. She kept going on and on about 'If only there was someone who would help my dear So-tan train, I wouldn't be so worried' or something like that. It was actually starting to get a bit creepy by the end."

It really was. The last night I spent in the Underworld, I ended up waking up to find Serafall standing next to my bed, just watching me with unblinking eyes and repeating the words over and over again. I suppressed a shiver at that memory. I'll give her this much at least, Serafall sure knows how to get what she wants.

Propping her head on one hand, the one that still held her glasses, she just gave me an exasperated look. "So let me get this straight. The entire 'chess is worthless' speech you just gave me was basically nothing but a sales pitch, wasn't it?"

"Yup." I nodded, not even bothering to deny it, "It was completely true, mind you, but yeah, basically that's what it was."

Covering her face in her hands, she just tiredly muttered through them, "You could have just asked, you know?"

"Actually no, I couldn't." I corrected her, "Not only would you have probably refused my offer if I just flat out asked you, but I'm technically not allowed to. Remember, my orders clearly state that I'm not allowed to directly interfere in your business. Butting into your training, even if it ended up becoming beneficial, would have qualified as direct interference. On the other hand, if you came and asked me to train you, it would not count as interfering as I would have been invited to join thus I'd have been perfectly in my rights to accept and help you train."

Rather convoluted, wasn't it? I personally thought the entire situation was rather stupid, but apparently Devils love this kind of stuff. From the very first day of me setting foot in the Underworld, I've had it drilled into me that as a part of Maou's Peerage there were formal rules of behaviour that I was expected to follow. That was especially true since the Maou's themselves seemed to disregard them so completely, that their Peerage members are forced to pick up the slack by following them extra hard in their place.

Favouritism, for example, is one of the key issues. Apparently when the four new Maous were coronated, there was a big fear among the Devils that they would end up using their power to unfairly support their family over everyone else. That was actually a rather valid concern since nepotism was widely practiced in the Old Devil faction. So to dissuade those concerns, the new Maous willingly distanced themselves from their family by throwing away their old clan's names and adopting the traditional names for Satans.

That's actually why Sona refuses anything from her sister. Everyone knows how much Serafall loves her and Sona is apparently terrified of getting her sister in trouble. Unfortunately, it's actually a valid concern.

Just look at Grayfia. She has to go so far as to dress herself up as a maid to make it clear that she's not expecting to get any special treatment by marrying Sirzechs, and she's his bloody Queen. Well, actually, I've heard a few rumours say that she does it because Sirzechs has some kind of maid-dominatrix fetish, but that was too disturbing to contemplate, so I decided to just disregard it.

While it's not as bad as I'm making it sound to Sona, who has always been a stickler for the rules, has always taken things a bit to the extreme to make sure they're followed.

Raising her head from her hand, she gave a dead-pan stare, then without warning she just started laughing. Not a little one either, but an actual full-bellied laugh that shook her entire body. That actually caught me off guard a little bit as I had never actually seen Sona laugh so much before and, going by the looks that the rest of her Peerage were giving her, neither had they.

When her laughter finally subdued, although she still let out an occasional chuckle, she looked up at me with shinning eyes, "I can see why my sister chose you. A better match in hell has never been made before."

"Don't you mean heaven?"

"I know what I said, Shirou," she returned her frames to their usual place and give me one of her rare smiles "and trust me when I say there is no way heaven would ever approve of the two of you."

In spite of myself, I felt oddly pleased with that.

Letting out one final chuckle, Sona took a deep breath before shutting her eyes. Remaining almost completely still, she released her breath in one slow exhale. When she was done, she opened her eyes again and I found myself staring at a completely different person.

Gone were all the traces laughter and humour, disappearing as if they were never there. Sitting ramrod straight in her seat, Sona looked at me with a face that was equally formal as it was cold. Not a hint of warmth remained; it almost felt like I was looking at a stranger.

This was a side of Sona that I rarely saw, although it was the one she apparently wore the most. This Sona wasn't my master's little sister nor was she the girl that was quickly becoming my friend. This was Sona Sitri, the heiress of Sitri Clan, the president of Kuoh Academy's Student council.

Cold and formal, it was something that I have only seen once before, the side of her that she wore when we first met, though it didn't last as it quickly melted away when Serafall introduced us and told her who I was.

It was as if she had some kind of internal switch that she could simply flick and switch between personas.

She looked at me straight in the eye before lowering her head in a formal bow, "Emiya Shirou," She stated, "I, Sona Sitri, heir of one of the 72 pillars, humbly invite you to attend the training session of both my Peerage and myself and grant us whatever assistance that you are willing to offer."

See what I mean? Complete stickler for the rules, this one. She could have just said 'can you please help us train?", and that would have been enough. Honestly, even most of the older generations aren't this formal outside of work, but since she choose to go down this route that means I have to respond in kind and, honestly, I'm still not used to this kind of thing.

Returning a bow that was equally deep, "I, Emiya Shirou, servant of the Leviathan, gladly accept the invitation." I'm pretty sure that wasn't the proper response, but it will do. Now with that part over, I made sure to come out of the bow the same time she did.

Then like that her mask was gone, and the usual semi-formal Sona was back.

"Well," she adjusted her frames, "That was twenty minutes of my life I'm never getting back." Though she said it with a smile to tell me she was kidding.

She then looked over my head at something behind, "We've been here longer than I've originally expected. You'd better hurry up if you want to have time to eat."

I twisted in place to look at the clock that was mounted on the wall behind and found that she was right. Lunch was almost halfway over.

Rising from my seat, I started to make my way to the door, "Well, while I still have a few things I wanted to talk to you about, they can wait until after our first training session at least. When is that by the way?

"The next planned training will be tomorrow at seven in the evening in the school courtyard." She replied, "Now go to lunch, Shirou, I don't want you slacking off on your first day at school because you were hungry."

"Got it," I had just reached the door at that point and had slid the door half way open before I remembered something.

"Oh, and Sona," I looked at her over my shoulder, "It's up to you whether or not you choose to listen to my advice, but when you choose your remaining Peerage members make sure they're the power type."

She just waved me away, "Understood, now get going already."

Nodding, I turned to leave, but was stopped when I was halfway out the door.

"And Shirou," I turned to find Sona staring at me, "call me Kaichou when we're at school."

I smirked at that, "Alright, Kaichou." And shut the door behind me, walking away to find a quiet place I can have my lunch at.

* * *

Inside the Student Council room the remaining occupants silently waited for the sound of their departing visitor's footsteps to recede. When it could no longer be heard, the entire student council appeared to release a breath of relief as they all relaxed.

The blue haired girl, Tsubasa, dropped a stack of paper she was working on onto a nearby desk and pulled out a chair before slumping down in it.

"Well," She said after running a hand through her hair, "that was unexpected."

Turning her head towards Sona, she commented, "Kaichou, when you told us to prepare for guest a today, I didn't expect it to be him."

"Who was that guy anyway?" Saji, the only boy left in the room, asked.

"You mean you don't know, Gen-chan?" Momo looked surprised at that, before with a small exclamation of realization the raven haired beauty she palmed her head, "Ah, that's right. You were just reincarnated a couple of months ago, weren't you? Of course you wouldn't have heard."

"Heard what? Is that guy a big shot or something?"

"Something like that," Tomoe, a cheerful looking girl with pigtails responded. Glancing at Sona from the edge of her eyes, she added with a playful smile, "Although what really surprised me was how open Kaichou was acting. I don't think I've ever seen her act like that outside of us, Rias and her precious Onee-sama. Normally she's so shy that she barely says anything more than she needs to."

"That's true." Tsubaki agreed as she handed her King a cup of steaming tea, "I honestly didn't expect them to get along so well this soon."

Taking the cup from her Queen, the topic of the conversation decided to interrupt. "How many times must I tell you not to talk about me as if I'm not even here?" Lifting the cup to her lips she paused, "And besides," she added before taking a sip, "I'm never shy."

"Sure you're not." Tomoe's playful smile turning into a teasing one as she insincerely agreed.

Letting out a sigh, Sona decided not to comment on her knight's tone, "I don't see what's surprising about my behaviour," deciding to go back to the original topic of the discussion, "It's only natural; after all, it wouldn't be too much of an exaggeration to say he's practically family."

"Ehh~~~!" Saji yelled out in surprise, "You mean that guy's your relative?"

Grimacing at the sound of her pawn's overreaction, Sona set her tea cup down, "I guess it's not surprising that you don't understand", she muttered quietly to herself before making her decision with a sharp nod, she stood up and faced Saji.

"Very well then, as your King it would be remiss of me to keep you ignorant." She clapped her hand and pointed at a chair for Saji to sit on, "so it's time for a history lesson."

Pacing across the room with her hands folded behind her back, Sona waited for Saji to settle himself on his chair before asking, "What do you know of my sister?"

"Ah!" Seemingly startled by the question, Saji needed a moment to think on it before answering "Well, your sister's a Maou right?" He said almost questioningly. Seeing Sona encouraging nod he carried on, "The Leviathan, one of the four leaders of the underworld and is responsible for foreign affairs. She and the other three are war heroes from the civil war and are considered to be among the strongest Devils in history."

"Correct," She said as she continued to pace in front of him, "And what about her Peerage?"

"Her Peerage?" He repeated before he tried racking his brain for an answer. "I…I…" he muttered out for a couple of seconds before slumping forward, disappointment filling his posture.

"Sorry, Kaichou, I don't know." He said, looking more than a little ashamed by his inability to answer.

The smallest hint of a smile made its way to her face at her Pawns overreaction, "Don't beat yourself up over it, Saji, it's only natural for you not to know." She told the depressed boy, "After all, she doesn't have one."

"Really?" The shock of that seemed to knock him out of his depression. "Even though she's a Maou?" He asked, incredulity clearly written all on his face.

Grimacing at the question, Sona nodded her head as she subconsciously increased the speed of her pacing.

"Since the end of the Civil War against the Old Devil faction, my sister has refused to form a Peerage. Not even a single member." She lectured. "As you can no doubt imagine, my sister's lack of a Peerage came as a surprise to a lot of people. It soon became a huge subject of controversy in the Underworld. Add the fact that it had been over two hundred years and the problem only grew. It reached the point where rumours began to spread about her."

Her grimace turned to an outright scowl, "Rumours," Spitting that word out like a curse, "which claimed that the reason why she refused a Peerage was because she disapproved of Reincarnated Devils as a whole. That she considered them a blight on the purity of Devil-kind."

She angry waved her hand before her as if dismissing the idea, "Preposterous, of course, my sister has never cared even the slightest bit about the blood purity of Devil-kind before, but that didn't stop the rumours from spreading anyway. And every year the problem just seemed to keep getting worse.

"It reached the point that the other Maou's tried to intervene and attempted to force her to form a Peerage, even one just in name but that ended up blowing up in their faces. She was steadfast in her refusal to form a Peerage, not even a single member. Even informing her that she was running the risk of losing her position as a Maou, if public unrest on the matter continued to grow, failed to persuade her."

"In the end it only made matters worse, as when the public found out how hard she fought against the idea of forming a Peerage, it only helped to feed the flames." She paused her pacing and turned to face Saji as he continued to listen attentively.

"Honestly, Saji, things were getting really bad. You have to understand that one of the biggest issues that plague modern Devil society is the subject of the Reincarnated Devils. Remember, we have only been able to reincarnate humans to Devils for the last couple of centuries and while that may appear as a long period of time for you, for Devils, who can measure their lives in millennia, that was practically only two decades ago at most. Over two-thirds of living Devils still remember a time where the evil pieces system didn't exist."

She turned and resumed her pacing. "In recent years tension between Pure Devils and Reincarnated Devils has risen to an all-time high. And with the numbers of Reincarnated Devils steadily increasing compared to how the number of Devils from the 72 pillars keeps declining no matter what we do with each passing century, the situation didn't seem to be getting better any time soon."

"Despite all that it wasn't an immediate issue. Devils, because of their long lives, take far longer to change socially than humans do. While it is a growing problem, it was not one that had to be dealt with immediately, but it's only a matter of time. A few decades, maybe century or two, then the issue will become too big to ignore anymore."

"The Maous, still dealing with damages from the Civil War and the remaining threat posed by the remainder of the Three Factions, could not afford to alienate any member of the Devil communicate and thus have decided to remain neutral on the issue."

"So that means-" Saji muttered out as he connected the dots.

"Yes," Sona agreed, "that means that my sister's persistence in rejecting a Peerage was seen as her supporting the Pure Devils agenda. Which meant that as far as the public was concerned, the Maous where no longer considered neutral and have already chosen a side to support."

Releasing a frustrated sigh while adjusting her glasses, Sona continued, "Instead of being something that could be put off for a later time, it quickly became an issue that had to be addressed immediately. And just when it reached the point where the Maous had no choose but to leave their neutrality and publicly take a stance on the matter," Sona walked up and stood right in front of Saji before spreading her arms open, "the entire issue became pointless as one day out of the blue, my sister pranced into the middle of a press conference that Sirzechs was holding and informed him that she got a new Peerage member and pranced right out without saying another word."

"Ehh~~~~~!" Saji shouted in shock and truthfully she couldn't blame him for his reaction, as that was the same response that every Devil in that room gave at the news, Sirzechs included. Which was unfortunate for him as many of the reporters had cameras.

His surprised face (jaw opened so wide that it reached the middle of his chest and his eyeballs bulging out) made the front page over Serafall's new Peerage member in quite a few of the newspapers. The newspaper companies have reported record breaking sales that day, though whether it was due to Serafall's announcement or Sirzechs picture was debatable.

A smile that was a cross between fondness and exasperation graced Sona's lips as she muttered, "That's just like her."

Shaking her head at the memory, she continued, "Anyway, that occurred a little over six months ago. Not surprisingly, after all the problems that was caused by her refusing to get a peerage for two centuries, only for her to turn around and suddenly get not just a new member but a Queen at that, had the whole supernatural world buzzing."

"Yeah, I remember that," Tsubasa interjected, finally breaking the silence from the rest of the Peerage, "the Underworld's social network was filled for weeks about people messaging and tweeting each other over Serafall's new queen. Yet at the time all anyone knew about him was his name."

"Emiya Shirou," Sona confirmed, "his name and his picture was the only thing Serafall released to the public. That was however enough to trigger a global wide search effort for any information they could find about him.

"In the end, he turned out to be someone no one ever heard of before, and I mean no one. Every news network, spy ring and government agency within and between heaven and hell tried to find everything they could on him.

"All for nothing, the collective effort of the entire Supernatural community failed to uncover even a scrap of information on the Leviathan's new Queen." The edge of Sona's lips lifted slightly, giving her an almost proud look. Her sister's ability to drive the entire world crazy with frustration was something that she couldn't but find amusing, especially after experiencing it herself for most of her childhood. It was nice having the rest of the world finally understand how she feels.

"The only thing they were able to confirm was that he formerly was a human, but that was only because he showed no physical or magical traits of any other race, rather than any success in their search effort."

Walking up to the seat she recently vacated, she sat down and took a sip of her now cool tea before she spoke again. "But that brought up another issue. A minor one, sure, especially compared to the ones his appearance solved, but something that needed to be dealt with."

Holding out her now empty cup towards her Queen, who quickly poured her a new one, which she proceeded to drink instead of speaking.

Seeing that his King had no intention of continuing, Saji quickly reached the end of his patience, "And? What's the new problem?"

Lowering her cup and shooting her pawn a mildly disappointed look at his inability to wait and mentally promising herself to correct that weakness, answered. "His rank."

"That's it?" Saji complained, clearly not understanding the problem.

"Think about it, Gen-chan," Momo interjected. "What does a Devil's Peerage represent?"

"Themselves," after taking a moment of thinking on it, "a Devil's peerage is a representative of the Devil in question."

"Correct," Sona nodded approvingly, "now taking that into consideration, tell me what should his rank be? Not only was he the Queen of a Maou, but he was also the only member of her Peerage, and since it took my sister so long to find just one member, it appeared that he would remain the only member for the foreseeable future. Thus the burden of representing her falls completely on his shoulders."

Taking one final sip of her tea before setting it down, she resumed "Before Shirou's arrival, every appointed Queen of the Maous were either already high ranking Devils before they became Queens or renowned warriors of Ultimate-class fighting abilities. Shirou on the other hand is a complete unknown, for all they knew he could have been a weakling. Considering that it was my sister who chose him as her Queen made that a frightfully realistic possibility."

Sona repeated her original question. "So, what should his rank be? Too low a rank, and it will basically be an insult to a Maou, something that no one involved wanted. Yet they could not give an unknown a high rank. Not only would it stink of favouritism, but they couldn't grant a high rank to what was potentially a weak Devil.

"Before it became too big a problem however, my sister gave an outrageous suggestion. Even by her standards it was considered insane." Her completely grim expression was all that Saji needed to know that even after the fact, Sona still didn't approve of her suggestion.

"What did she say?"

"She wanted to arrange a fight between Sirzechs and Shirou." Sona stated calmly before closing her eyes and leaning away in anticipation of the yell of surprise that would no doubt be coming from the easily excitable teen.

After several seconds had passed and the anticipated yelling had yet to come, Sona slowly cracked open her eyes to see what the matter was, before blinking in surprise. She blinked again, and again, and one more time to be sure. Yet there was no denying what she was seeing.

There, sitting stock still before her, was a completely frozen Saji. Jaw hanging open and eyes wide in shock, his skin having paled by several shades, he remained seated completely motionless before her.

"Ah…Saji?" her voice held a rare tone of uncertainty as she questioned her unmoving pawn. "Are you alright?" When he didn't show even the slightest sign of responding to her comment, she began to worry.

"Gen-chan?" Momo spoke up as well, and when he still didn't respond, the rest of the peerage started to worry.

Ruruko, a twin-ponytailed girl, walked up to her fellow pawn and waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello~~~ is anybody home in there, Saji?" When he still didn't react, she reached out a hand and gave him a gentle poke on his shoulder.

The moment she made contact, Saji reacted.

"Ehh~~~~~~~~!" Saji ended up screaming so loud that the windows shook in their frames. Every Council member in the room reflexively clamped their ears, while poor Ruruko had almost fallen over as she jumped back in fright.

"SHE DID WHAT? IS SHE INSANE?" He shouted out, skin still pale with shock. "She wanted him to fight Sirzechs, as in the Super Devil Sirzechs? The strongest Devil in recorded history, that Sirzechs?"

"No, we're talking about the other Sirzechs, the one that works as a part-time accountant in the local mall." Tsubasa snarked, before reaching across the table and gently cuffing Saji on the back of the head. "Yes, that Sirzechs, and keep it down, you almost busted my eardrums."

"Normally I'd take offence for calling my sister insane, but in this case I'm inclined to agree. What she wanted was completely insane." Pinching the bridge of her nose to stave of the headache the mere memory of the event brought on. "Somehow she was able to convince everyone else to go along with her madness, and before I knew what was happening, Shirou and Sirzechs were already fighting."

"Well, what the hell happened?" He asked before noticing the serious expression his master was sporting and began feeling a little nervous. "He didn't win…did he?"

"No, of course not. He most certainly did lose." Sona assured him with a slow shake of her head, "Then again, no one expected him to win nor was it the purpose of the fight. What everyone wanted to know was how strong he was and well… He proved himself to be most worthy of being my sister's queen."

Her eyes lost focus as she got lost in her memory "Sirzechs wanted to test Shirou, so he didn't initiate the fight and merely sat back and waited for him to strike the first blow. Instead of simply charging in, Shirou began to chant.

"Chanting?" Reya, a Bishop and thus one of the magic experts of the group, asked. "Like for a spell? But he's a Devil now; doesn't he realize that unlike human mages we don't need chants or circles to cast spells?"

"That's what we all thought too." Sona agreed. "Some of the Elder Devils watching actually started laughing and claiming how it was too soon for the kid to fight if he doesn't even know how to cast a spell properly."

Frowning at the thought of the Elder Devils, she continued, "As much as I hate to ever side with those old fools, at the time I was forced to agree. If Shirou didn't even understand the basics of how his Devil powers worked, it was going to end becoming even a bigger massacre than anyone ever expected."

"Honestly I was already apprehensive enough about the fight already, finding out that he was unable to use Devil magic however pushed me over the edge. I quickly turned around to find my sister and convince her to end this fight before she got her Queen killed, but the moment I caught a glimpse of her face, I froze in place. She was wearing a look that I recognized all too well, a cocky 'I know something you don't know' expression of hers that she always wore just before she was about to prank someone…" she paused before admitting, "which was usually me."

"Not sure whether to feel reassured or even more terrified by the revelation, I decided to simply stand out of her line of fire for the time being and watch how things played out. By the time I turned back towards the match, Shirou had just completed his chant and…well, to say what followed was unexpected would be putting it mildly.

"A ring of fire emerged from beneath his feat, quickly spreading across the field to encircle Sirzechs within its embrace and with a flash of blinding light, the ring was replaced with a giant dome of flames.

"It was a brand of magic that no one had ever seen the like of before. Despite its appearance, what we first believed to be flames were actually not, as it emitted no heat and a Phenex member in the audience could sense no fire in its construction.

"Not only were we faced with a form of magic that we could neither understand nor identify, but we also lost track of the two combatants as none of the cameras or sensors we had scattered across the battlefield could see through the dome. The few that were caught within its range did not transmit any images, which was supposed to be impossible. The only thing we could confirm was that both Shirou and Sirzechs were inside of the dome. And within nothing else we could do, we resigned ourselves to waiting it out.

"Fortunately our wait was not a long one. Hardly a minute had gone by since the formation of the dome, than it began to collapse as abruptly as it had appeared. We could finally see what was within the dome, but what greeted our eyes however was a bloody and wounded Sirzechs Lucifer…

…who had been brought down to his knees."

For a single moment, the entire Counsel room became so silent that you could have heard a pin drop before the silence was abruptly broken by the combined yells of shock from each and every member of her Peerage.

"EHHH~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!"

Rubbing her head at her Peerage's overreaction, Sona muttered under her breath, "By the Satans, they're multiplying."

"He did what?" squeaked out a frightened Ruruko.

"B-b-but didn't you just say he lost?" a confused Saji question.

"I haven't heard anything about that! I thought all that happened was him giving Sirzechs a good fight." Tsubasa exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise.

Raising a single hand up, Sona signalled her Peerage to be silent, which they immediately complied to. After waiting for a few seconds to make sure that they would remain silent, Sona continued speaking.

"I believe you are all misunderstanding something. First of all, Saji." She locked her sights onto her Pawn, "Shirou did lose. He was spotted a few seconds later, unconscious and lying face down on the ground only a few yards away from Sirzechs, having succumbed to his wounds."

Turning her eyes away from her Pawn's onto her Knights, "As for why you haven't heard of this, Tsubasa, I thought it would have been obvious. Sirzechs is widely considered to be the strongest Devil in existence, his strength is so acclaimed that most people actually consider him invincible, untouchable even.

"While that is for the most part untrue, it is a useful image to have. As the public face of both the Maous and the New Devil faction as a whole, he needed to be viewed as a perfect and unmatched being. Despite that possibly Ajuka Beelzebub may actually be as strong as him, the entire Maous and Elder Devils agreed to make Sirzechs as the new poster boy for the New Devil faction when the war ended, so they did their best to bolster his admittedly already high reputation.

"That's why they could not allow the details of the match to spread. Even if he did win the fight, that he was injured at all, by a newly minted Devil at that, could not be allowed to be known to the public. All the High-Ranking Devils that were there were unanimous in that. Even my sister agreed.

"Besides, Shirou had a distinct advantage in that fight. Sirzechs's primary weapon is his Power of Destruction, something that is simply too dangerous to be used outside of a life or death situation. While he could still use it defensively, it is highly unlikely that he was able to utilize it to its full power offensively against Shirou without taking the risk of killing him.

"On the other hand, there is no way of telling if Shirou would have also performed better in a life or death battle. Each and every one of Shirou's swords struck Sirzechs in non-fatal points, or not imminently fatal at least. Whether Shirou would have done better or worse in a real fight," she shrugged "who knows?"

"Swords, Kaichou?" Her so far silent Queen asked.

"Ah, that right. I didn't get a chance to explain that, did I?" She recalled, "When we first caught sight of him, Sirzechs body was completely littered with swords. There easily was over half a dozen blades piercing his entire body, his chest, back, legs, shoulders - everything. And there were even more planted on the ground around him. Because of that, many theorized that Shirou's magic was based on swords somehow."

"You mean just like the one he showed us." Tomoe realized.

"If he made dozens of swords like that one, I can completely understand why he did so well." Momo barely withheld a shiver at the thought of that weapon. She may not have been the most knowledgeable about swords, but she was the best in the Peerage at sensing magic. Even when she sat on the other side of the room, she was overwhelmed by the pure power that poured out of that sword, it was so dense she could almost taste it. "That sword was dangerous, Kaichou, easily a Maou level weapon."

"I, as well as many other of the Devils there, agree with you. Some even speculated that some of the swords that were spotted may have been of God-slaying level, but the swords all dissipated into bits of light before anyone got the chance to examine them."

"Either way, while Shirou may not have been able to beat Sirzechs, he was able to wound him. His blades were able to reach him, to pierce the armour of the strongest Devil. At that point Shirou's strength could no longer be denied."

"That was enough to silence any dissenters. The Leviathan's Queen had proven his worth and was acknowledged by both the Elder Devils and the Maous as an Ultimate-level class Devil and was awarded the rank of prince, making him an equal in status to heirs of the 72 Pillars.

"The final result ended up completely satisfying the Reincarnated Devils, as this had not only dissuaded them of any doubts of my sister's stance on Reincarnated Devils, but it was also the fastest rise in rank to have ever been recorded for a Devil, reincarnated or otherwise. To make things even better, Shirou is the first and only completely reincarnated human Queen to have been made part of a Maou's Peerage. This has caused my sister's reputation to flip among the Reincarnated Devils, actually making her the most popular among the Maous instead of the least." Sona shook her head in disbelief at that, "I swear, if I didn't know any better I would think she had planned the entire thing straight from the start."

"What about the Pure-Blooded Devils? I doubt they would have been pleased by the result." Tsubaki, the most politically conscious member of her Peerage, asked.

"That's the best part, every Pure-Blooded Devil that strongly opposed the rising pressure to grant more rights to the Reincarnated Devils were there to witness the fight and were completely cowed by his strength. For Devils power is everything, and Shirou's strength was indisputable, so they quieted down for now. Though I have my doubt it will stay that way for long."

"The problem hasn't been fixed by any means, but this event was able to buy the Maous much needed breathing space and have given them enough time to strengthen their position before tackling the issue.

"By the end of the day my sister had gotten her Queen, dealt with the population's discontent with her and also decided to grant her Queen a title to honour the occasion."

Tsubasa broke out laughing at that, "Yeah, I remember that title. It was awesome." At the words, several of the Devils in the room began to chuckle along with her.

"What title did she give him?" Saji asked Sona, confused at the reaction of the rest of the Peerage.

A small, mean spirited smile appeared on her face, making her look so much like her sister it frightened everyone watching.

"They named him…"

The Queen of swords.

* * *

There is no doubt in my mind, that somewhere out there Archer's laughing at me.

I pushed myself off the wall that I was leaning on, that was located at the opposite end of the corridor that contained the student council. I stopped reinforcing my ears, as I was no longer interested in eavesdropping on the rest of their conversation, and made my way to a quiet place to have my lunch.

This reminds me, I have to make sure Sona starts setting up measures to protect her room from magical surveillance from now on. Just because this is a human school is no excuse for her to get sloppy. That I was able to listen in on her for the past five minutes without her noticing was all the proof that I will need to convince her.

Ok, sure, he may have been betrayed by the very ideals he had dedicated his whole life to, murdered by the very people he was trying to save and has to spend the rest of his existence in a perpetual hell as one of Alaya's Counter Guardian where he is forced to murder millions of innocent people just because they happened to be in the way, but even he has never experienced anything as embarrassing as this.

I mean, really, 'Queen of Swords', how tacky was that?

It was a good thing that there was no one in the corridor or they would have witnessed me fall to my hands and knees in despair. Knowing my luck, I would have ended up with an even more embarrassing nickname by the end of the day if anyone did end up seeing me.

I could tolerate the swords part, but Queen? Oh, come on, I'm a guy! That Serafall has kept on trying to get me to adopt one of the songs made by the 'Queens" as my personal theme song didn't make me feel any better about the matter.

Oh, my pride, my aching pride. It actually physically hurt. It's at the moments like this that I hated being a devil. When I was still a human I simply wouldn't have cared. It never mattered to me what other people thought of me and I would have barely given any thought to an embarrassing name I might have been called by. Hell, I was dubbed the 'Janitor' by most of my classmates all through junior high and all the way up to high school and it didn't even phase me.

Ever since I became a Devil however, Pride has ended up becoming my personal 'Sin'. Fortunately, it was mostly limited to my swords and cooking, but every now and then it crops up.

Like whenever I hear myself being referred to as a Queen.

Letting out a sigh of surrender, I decided to let it go. I had better things to do than waste my time over something I couldn't do anything about, like making sure Sona or the Gremory girl didn't get themselves killed.

I could feel the good mood that I had been enjoying since returning back to school plummet a bit at the thought. War was coming, whether with the other three fractions or some of the others groups that despised Devils. One way or the other, war was coming to the Underworld.

That's why I had to go to such lengths to make sure Sona allowed me to train her. Sona in the end was half-right. Her sister did send me to train her, but not for the game. I'm not sure Serafall's heart can take it if anything happened to her little sister, so I was here to make sure I'd never have to find out. Besides, I liked Sona, I would have been happy to watch over the kid even if Serafall didn't ask me to.

Oh, just listen to me, I'm starting to sound like an old man. I'm only a year older than most of my classmates and I'm already thinking of every one of them as children.

I can worry about it later. Right now I better hurry if I wanted a chance to eat my lunch. With that last thought, I quickened my pace in my quest to find a suitable place to spend the rest of my lunch.

…but still, I'm a Queen of swords.

…Shut up, Archer.

* * *

Tsubaki was just finishing up some last minute paper work, when she realized that her King wasn't in her usual spot, double-checking their work. Instead she was standing in front of her chess set, glaring down at it.

"Kaichou," approaching her, Queen hesitantly asked, "is something wrong?"

"…I just realized something," Sona finally answered after an abnormally long wait, "I never got a chance to play a game with him. That jerk tricked me!"

* * *

_**Author's Note:**_

I'm much happier with how this chapter turned out. True, there was a little bit too much politics, that went longer than I expected to, but I'm overall pleased with it.

Cliché number 2: Why a Pawn? Seriously, why are there so many characters turned into god damn Pawns? I have seen Naruto, a person who can tear down mountains, get revived with a single pawn. I have seen OC who are Angel/human hybrids with a talent in magic that could rival Merlin get turned into pawns. Hell, I have seen characters with the power to kill gods turned into Pawns. One pawn, not eight, but one. Why? Can someone please explain to me why? It just doesn't make sense to me.

Although I believe that a Queen is a perfect fit for Shirou (He's a physical fighter that uses magic to arm himself and strengthen his body), the reason why I choose to make him Queen is for a plot related reasons that will be revealed later on.

This chapter was Beta'd by Bigreader in the Omniverse and grabblers, you have them to thank for saving you from the horrors of my spelling.


	3. Chapter 3 : The Devil's guidebook 1

**Authors notes: **This chapter will explain the rules of the world and how it works. While it is not necessary to read to enjoy the story, a lot of the magic and history of the world I plan to make will make a lot more sense if you do read it. Think of it as something similar to the stats guide in Fate/Stay Night.

* * *

The Devil's guidebook

For the newly reincarnated

Class: King/Queen/Rook/Knight/Bishop/Pawn

Master:

Official Rank:

(Note, an official rank may not reflect on the actual combat ability. There have been several cases where a low-ranked devil have defeated a high-ranked one. This is however more common occurrence with pure-blooded devils who were granted a high rank at birth rather than low-born devils who earned their ranks by rising up the ranks.)

Race:

Strength: N/A

Endurance: N/A

Agility: N/A

Mana: N/A

Luck: N/A

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Ranking:

There are five main Rankings E, D, C, B &amp; A

Note that the gaps between ranks are large. So much so that it is more than possible for a competent fighter to defeat several opponents that are only a single rank beneath him.

E = The base value and it is estimated to be 10 times more powerful than an average human.

D = high class devils

C = Ultimate Class / 8-10 winged Angel

B = Maou Class / 12 winged Angel / Lower gods

A = Super Devil / higher Gods / Evil Dragons

Ex = The 'Ex' rank is applied when the power cannot be classified in the normal system and is in a league of its own. While it can be applied to extremely powerful creatures such as the Great Red, it also includes abilities that are simple too unique to be proper measure such as 'Time Travel' or an ability that grants you the power to always be slightly stronger than the opponent you are currently facing.

'+' = The plus sign indicates that under certain circumstances, the Stat may exceed the designated rank by up to, but no higher than one rank.

For example, a devil bishop's speed can increase from an E Rank to a D Rank when flying in the air if the devil is a highly skilled flyer. In such a case, a rank of E+ would be awarded.

'++' indicates that the Stat may increase by two ranks, while '+++' by three.

'-' = The minus sign indicates that the Stat doesn't completely qualify for its rank either due to it being too weak for the rank but too strong to justify a lower ranking, or has a flaw or weakness that prevents it from completely qualifying for the Rank.

For example, a devil knight may have a C rank in endurance, but due to the inherited weakness of the legs for knight classes, the devil's legs may only qualify for a D rank in endurance. In such a case, a rank of C- would be awarded.

The gaps in power between Ranks also increase as they get higher. For example the difference in strength between E and D rank is many times smaller than the difference between B and A.

Racial Traits:

Devil's Luck: All devils are blessed (or cursed) with the luck of the devil.

A devil's luck is influenced heavily by how powerful the devil in question is. An extremely powerful devil will result in luck that can rival a Dragon's. It will attract other powerful beings to him as well as potential mates of the opposite genders and will often allow the devil to stumble upon the most unusual situations.

There has been documented cases in the past where powerful devils have either stumbled on a damsel in distress on the way home for work or even have found themselves accidently walking into the middle of a Cthulhu summoning ritual that involved the sacrifice of virgins by randomly wandering through the streets at night (each of the four current Maou have reported experiencing both of these events).

Whether such luck can be considered a blessing or a curse depends on the devil's personality. Those who seek battle or adventure will see it as a blessing. While those who wish for peaceful lives will look upon it as a curse.

It is rumored that the Maou Falbuim Asmodeus has the potential to one day become a super devil with enough training but refuses to do so in fear of what would become of his life if he gains the luck of a super devil. Such is his fear of receiving such luck that it is believed to be one of the attributing factor to his famed laziness.

While the Super Devil Sirzechs Lucifer, who is considered to be the strongest devil alive, is band from every casino in the underworld due to his absurdly monstrous luck that has resulted in him having several consecutive winning streaks when it comes to games of pure chance.

An extremely weak devil's luck however will have no notable difference in comparison to that of an ordinary human.

Flight:

All Devils are cable of flight.

Though Devils reincarnated from species without wings tend to be less skilled flyers than their natural born counterparts as they lack the innate instincts of flying, all devils can eventually become skilled flyers given enough time and practice.

Weakness to holy and light elements:

Due to being classified as 'Dark' beings; all devils have an inherited weakness to 'light'. Holy magic on the other is not naturally harmful for devils but artificially made to be so.

Before the original Satan was cast out from heaven for defying God, he bore none of the weakness Devils currently have towards Holy magic and was even able wield holy magic himself. But that all ended with his fall.

The Holy element is an artificially created element. Unlike the other natural elements such as light and fire that existed since the creation of the earth, Holy was brought to existence in the world through the will of God and is thus is considered to be a reflection of God's will. As God has rejected all Devils, due to his anger at Satan's betrayal, so has the Holy element rejected devils in turn.

While light and holy magic are often incorrectly considered to be the same, there is a significant difference between the two despite their resemblance. It is why crosses and holy water are harmful to devils despite not containing any light element within them.

Please note, that attacks that are made up of both Holy and Lights elements are extremely dangerous to devils. Light spears of angels for example contain both Holy and Light elements while the light spears of fallen angels only contain light element. It is for this reason why Heaven is still considered a dangerous threat to Hell, despite the existence of two super devils and the substantial increase in the number of devils thanks to the creation of the evil piece system.

Silver tongue:

All Devils are blessed with a Silver Tongue.

This ability allows them to understand all spoken languages, even ones that are not human based. As long in can be spoke through a human's through, it can be understood. Though this only works with face-to-face communication. The magic behind this ability require both parties to be physically present to work.

When communicating over the over long distances by non-magical means such as through the telephone, this ability will have no effect. However, the 'Silver Tongue' will allow devils to learn the language they are speaking in at a prodigal rate, enabling devils to achieve near native proficiency in under a year when immersed in an environment where they are continually forced to speak said language. Which is the reason why many older devils are able to naturally communicate in dozens of different languages.

There are however two flaws with this ability. Written language are not translated and thus must be learned naturally. Expressions and idioms that don't have an exact match in a language that the devil naturally knows will fail to translate, or worse, are translated incorrectly.

Take heed of the second flaw as it has been known to lead to disaster.

A well-known example of this occurred approximately three thousand years ago, during the reign of King Solomon the wise. A high class devil of the now extinct Naberius Clan named Alcaeus was able to successfully establish a contract with the King, who was considered the most influential human of the time. While the precise details of the contract was lost to time and war, what records remain showed that the family profited heavily from it.

Unfortunately, the entire thing ended in disaster after a translation error. Alcaeus despite thoroughly researching the king's culture in order negotiate properly, never bothered to take the time to learn to speak the language naturally.

At the time, it was customary to talk about your personal life before talking about business, apparently to show that you cared about your business partner wellbeing instead of just their money, and a common conversation topic was one's family.

During this particular conversation, King Solomon's mother was brought up and Alcaeus naturally tried to pay the King's mother a complement. Now while the exact words he meant to say were lost to time, but according to witnesses and the King himself, Alcaeus ended up calling his mother a 'hot piece of ass'. While historians believe that this was likely a result of a translation error of the spell, it didn't matter in the end for poor Alcaeus.

The King was understandably so enraged by what he perceived as a devil trying to seduce his mother that he promptly chopped his head off.

Let this be a lesson to all you new Devils. Be careful when using a language you're not familiar with. You never know when you may end up making a pass on someone's mother. You may end up losing your head when you least expect it.

Creatures of the Night:

Devils are nocturnal creatures.

They have more energy and strength during the night, while daylight leaves them drained and lethargic. Devils, like most nocturnal creatures, are also gifted with excellent night visions allowing them to see even in the darkest of nights.

Devil Magic:

All Devils are capable of casting and using a form of magic only available to Devils. Unlike human magicians who utilize their knowledge of equations and runes to cast spells, Devils can cast spells through the power of their imagination alone.

In the most basic sense, all a Devil has to do to cast a spell is to will their magic into the form they desire. For example, if a Devil wished to cast a ball of fire all he needed to do was pour out their magic and will it into the form of a flame. While it is a little more complicated than that and will require practice to master, magic has always come instinctively to all Devils even reincarnated ones.

There have been many documented cases where recently Reincarnated Devils were successfully able to use magic on their first attempt.

Shape Shifting:

Devils are born with the ability to shape shift their form to a limited extent. While it cannot be used for any extreme changes, such a growing a third arm, it can be used to alter one's appearance.

Most notably Devils are cable of adjusting their age to make them appear either younger or older than their actual age. This is why Devils thousands of years old may still appear to be in their mid-twenties.

While changing the colour of one's hair and skin is not possible, Devils are capable of removing or shifting the fat in their body. Finding an obese Devil is rare thanks to this ability because a Devil needs to eat an obscene amount of food daily in order to gain enough fat to negate their ability to remove it.

A recent trend among younger Devils is to shape their fat into muscles or curves to improve their appearances. Due note however that even if you shape your fat to look like a muscle, you will not gain any actual strength.

Reinforced body:

Devils, like all magical beings, gain their physical strength from their magic. All devils, both born and reincarnated, have an almost instinctive ability to automatically reinforce their body with magic to harden and strengthen it. This is the source of a Rooks strength and the Knights speed.

Yet why does the Bishop, the piece with the highest magical ability, does not enjoy these benefits. The reason is due the amount of Mana their body can handle.

Fortunately devils, unlike human mages, have nothing to fear from infusing their body with too much Mana as their minds are able to instinctively tell when they have reached their limit and block out any additionally Mana. Some devils in the past have attempted to overcome this limit by shutting down the mind's ability to block the flow of Mana. They theorized that the body does not in fact reinforce itself to its maximum potential and that by removing the block Devils would be able to reach unprecedented levels of strength.

All Devils involved in these experiments have died with rather predictable and messy results.

There are many creatures in the world with high magical ability, but lack the body to completely utilize their magic reserves. Almost every species would fall under this category, which is considered a good thing as anyone with a body that is capable handling their complete reserves would drain their body of Mana almost instantly. Although there are exceptions to this rule.

The most notable of these are the Nekoshou. They are a rare sub-species of Nekomata (humanoid Cat Yokai) that despite having above average magical reserves, are blessed with bodies that are capable of wielding massive amounts of Mana. So much so, that if an Average Nekomata tried using their body to their maximum capacity they would drain their entire magic supply in less than two seconds.

Fortunately, Nekoshous have found a way around this problem that would allow them to utilize their bodies to the limit. Nekoshous are different from other Nekomata breeds in that they are capable of wielding Senjutsu. Senjutsu allows them to absorb the life energy, more commonly known as chakra, from the world around them into their bodies. Using Chakra in place of Mana they are then capable of using their bodies to its maximum potential.

Unfortunately due to recent events, Nekoshous have become a rare and mostly unwelcome species in the Devil community (for more information please look up the information in the chapter on Yokai Races).

Some newly reincarnated devils with high magical reserves have occasion been found to have trouble controlling their new found strength and end up crushing anything they hold. Fortunately this period rarely ever last long as the devils will soon naturally adapt to their new found strength given time.

It is however advised that these Devils be isolated from normal human and refrain from handling fragile valuables until they have learned to restrain their power as it an unfortunately common occurrence for these newly incarnated Devils to end up hurting the people around them.

Curse of the 7 sins:

Devils, due to their very existence being the embodiment of sin, are especially suitable to the seven 'deadly' sins from the bible.

These are:

Lust

Gluttony

Greed

Sloth

Wrath

Envy

Pride

Most, if not all, devils embody at least one of these sins. Some represent several.

However, if it was simply a matter of being 'sinful', the 7 sins would not be known as a curse. The problem is that devils have the tendency of losing control of themselves when indulging in these scene.

There have been cases when a Devil who embodied Gluttony spent every waking moment eating whatever food he could get his hands on, not sparing the time to do anything, else not even bathing. While a Devil who embodied Wrath would attack anyone over the slightest insult, even just walking into such a Devil can set him off.

In an effort to limit the effect of these sins, pure-blooded devils (who are especially suitable to the 7 sins) tend to pick one of the 7 sin and deliberate indulge in it in a controlled manner.

For example, a Devil who chooses to indulge Lust would often create a harem of women (or men for female) in their peerage and act out their lust on their peerage but only on their peerage. By conditioning themselves to limit their desires on their peerage/harem they eventual train themselves to only indulge in their lust with their peerage/harem, thus preventing their weakness for Lust from acting out in other unpleasant manner.

It also the reasons why harems are such a common thing in the Devil community.

Please note, that due to the low birthrates in the Devil community, homosexuality is highly frowned upon and is considered to be a betrayal from one's duty as a Devil, especially so in the pure-blood community which is has been dying out in recent years. Bisexually however is a completely accepted and even encouraged practice as long as it an act of lust not love.

Another example of using a peerage to limit a deadly sin is Greed. Some Devils after choosing a particular person to join their peerage tend to go to extreme lengths to get their heart's desire. Lying and deceiving a potential peerage member is common occurrence, and even arranging their death by a third party then 'saving' them by reincarnating them to ensure their loyalty is not an unheard of practice. Their Greed for the member tends to cloud the minds of even the most ethical of Devils.

But ironically these same greedy Devils tend to make the best masters, as they never want to let any of their peerage members go, they would go to great lengths to make them happy so that their peerage members would willingly stay with them. The Gremory Clan is especially renowned for their Greed when it come to their Peerages as it has been said that they are willing to go as far as treating their peerage as family to keep them happy enough to never leave.

The Maou Sirzechs Lucifer, when he was still a Gremory, is said to have desired his now Queen and wife, Grayfia Lucifuge, so badly that not only did he romance and court her during the civil war despite her being a member of the old faction and him the leader of the new one, but he also ended up leading a charge deep into enemy territory for the sole purpose of retrieving her when her family locked her away to prevent the two from rendezvousing.

While reincarnated devils tend to not show any particular disposition to any of these sins at first, given time, they will eventual succumb to one of them as they age. The effects of the 7 sins tend to grow as the individual's devil abilities develop. The stronger the Devil, the more easily they would fall to temptation.

While devils as whole embrace these sins, partially because they enjoy it and partially because it tends to infuriate their angel counterpart so much, it is considered a sign of weakness for devils succumb to one of these sins. Devils are expected to be in control of their sins, not allow their sins to control them.

That is why the Maou are expected to only have a single wife and not a harem. As leaders of all Devils, they are expected to set an example on how devils, even ones as powerful as them thus more susceptible, can resist the most common temptations, lust.

The three most common Sins among Devils are Lust, Greed and Pride.

Stats:

Please note that the following information is the based on the base parameter of a newly reincarnated devil with a regular King as a master.

Stats can vary greatly depending on the strength and skill of the reincarnated devil, the amount of evil pieces used in the reincarnation process and the pure magical ability and raw strength of the King.

Stats can also change over time with training.

Class: Knight (Base)

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: E

Endurance: E-

Agility: D

Mana: E-

Luck: E

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Rook (Base)

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: D

Endurance: D

Agility: E-

Mana: E

Luck: E+

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Bishop (Base)

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: E-

Endurance: E-

Agility: E

Mana: D

Luck: E

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Pawn (Base) - single pawn piece

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: E-

Endurance: E

Agility: E-

Mana: E-

Luck: E-

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

Class: Queen (Base) –

Master:

Official Rank:

Race:

Strength: D-

Endurance: D-

Agility: D-

Mana: D-

Luck: D-

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: N/A

For newly initiated devils, these ranks may appear to be rather low but that is only because they fail to comprehend the true meaning behind the ranks.

Even a Devil with an E Rank in Strength will have enough grip strength to crush a human's skull with their bare hands and bench press several times their weight. And while a Devil with D rank in Magic may have enough power to destroy a building, one with a B rank in Magic will have enough power to destroy a small country several times over.

The gaps in Ranks are huge so never underestimate an opponent, even one with a 'mere' E rank in Strength. You may end up getting your hand crushed if you're not careful.

Do not be discouraged however if you find yourself with an unusually low rank (Pawns I'm looking at you here), Devils are creatures that can live for hundreds of years and as long as they train their strength will never stop growing. Unlike humans, Devils have practically no uppers limits to their power. As long as you continue to train you will continue to grow.

There is a reason why the strongest Devils in the underworld are centuries old. No matter how talented you are, nothing can replace the strength gained through years of training an experience. Even the Maou themselves were once considered weak.

As the Strongest living Devil Sirzechs Lucifer said:

"Power earned will always surpass power given."

Personal Skills:-

Every individual have certain skills that can benefit them either inside or outside of combat. Personal skills should not be mistaken with Racial Traits, which are available to everyone from that particular species, or Inherited Power, which is magic, passed down through blood such the power of destruction.

Examples of Personal Skills are Swordsmanship (One's skill in wielding the sword) and Charisma (The natural talent to lead and inspire either individuals or groups)

While most Personal Skills are positive in nature there do exists negative skills, such as the 'Natural Berserker' Skill (where one losing himself in the heat of battle and becomes incapable of higher thought).

Personal Skills are just as important if not more that an individual's Stats. Stats can be considered a measure of physical capability, then Personal skills can be considered as the talents that can effectively make use of your physical capabilities.

Sacred Gears:-

Also known as God's Artifacts are items bestowed upon humans by God.

They are powerful objects that grant humanity supernatural abilities that would have been otherwise impossible for them to gain. There are thousands of types of Sacred Gears around the world, each with a variety of effects. Some are supportive in nature, such as healing Sacred Gears. Others are more combated oriented and grant their wielder the strength to fight supernatural beings head on.

There even exist Sacred Gears that are able to kill gods.

These are the Longinus, the tools that destroy god, named after the spear that slayed the Son of God and thirteen of them were gifted upon mankind. Be advised that if you ever find yourself facing a Longinus wielder in battle, run. Just turn around and run, nothing short of an ultimate class can take down even the weakest trained Longinus wielder.

(And for those of you foolish enough to disregard my sound advice and attempt to try fight a Longinus user in battle anyway. Keep in mind that when you die, and you will die, your soul will not end up in heaven as by being reincarnated as devil you are no longer eligible to enter there. You are going to end up in a far darker place. So do your forsaken soul a favor and just run.)

God gifted humanity these Sacred Gears to protect them. He heard the suffering of his children, how died by the millions at the hand of the supernatural, and moved by their plight he acted. That is why he forged the Sacred Gears, to grant humanity the power to fight back against the monster of the world.

For they are his divine gifts, a holy blessing which he intended to bestowed upon mankind and only mankind.

Naturally as devils we try to fuck up God's plans whenever we can.

Devils would often go to great length to recruit Sacred Gears wielders into their peerage, both to the fact that they tend to make exceptionally powerful devils, and because there is nothing funnier for us devils to see one of God's well-crafted get shafted, as the very weapons he created to hinders us, make us a stronger instead.

Rumor has it that Michael almost had a heart attack when the first sacred gear user was reincarnated as a devil.

There is one more important thing to note about Sacred Gears.

At one point in the past it was widely believed that Sacred Gear users were randomly selected. It was theorized that once the host of a Sacred Gear dies, the Sacred Gear will instantly transfer to a newly conceived human and latch onto its soul.

The theory however was disproven after Sacred Gears researcher have found that gears can take up to ten years before finding a host and is born back into the world (due to their existence multiple version of the same Sacred Gears and the time it took for their wielders to awaken them, it took centuries of research to discover this).

It is now acknowledged that Sacred Gears are paired up with the souls of individuals that match them the most. Healing Sacred Gears for example would never end up with a soul that enjoys violence and combat despite that such a Sacred Gear would be extremely useful for any warrior. They would often be pair up with people with kind and gentle natures that would desire nothing more than to help others (many of these people would have eventually become doctors or healers even if they never awoken their Sacred Gear).

This is most evident with dragon based Sacred Gears, where every wielder of such gears in record history all shared similar characteristic to that of a dragon. They were all proud individuals with confidence in their strength, if not outright arrogance, and an insatiable lust for battle.

The current wielder of the Divine Dividing Sacred Gears, Vali Lucifer, is a prime example of this.


	4. Chapter 4: The White Cat

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**_

**Author's Notes:**

**Other F/S N characters: **No. I'm sorry for those of you who are disappointed but the only characters from fate/stay night are Shirou and Ilya, no one else...Well, maybe Zelretch but even then he will only play a very minor role as an observer (or prankster). So it will only be Shirou and Ilya.

**Devils Guide book:** I have received a lot of mixed reviews concerning chapter 3, so let me make it clear, you **Don't **need to read it, it will help understand more about the magic and history of the world but you can skip it and still enjoy the story.

**Pairing:** a lot of you are asking about pairing and it's…. a surprise ;)

**Editing: **I am aware that there are lot of spelling and grammar errors in the first 10 chapters of this story or so and I'm currently doing my best to fix it, so for new readers I apologize for my spelling mistakes.

_**This is an AU**__**:**_ A lot of people are worried that Shirou is too strong for the villains of the first few volumes. Well, don't be because this is a complete AU. Nothing is going to follow cannon.

Please note, I'm still an amateur in writing and still learning the ropes so if I did something that makes no sense I'm more than willing to rewrite a chapter to fix it.

_***Story Start***_

* * *

_**Chapter 4:**_

_**The white cat**_

_There are times that you're so much like me that I'm surprised we're not a real father and son_

Kiritsugu didn't want to teach me anything to do with magic. Time and time again I asked only to end up rebuffed. After almost two years of trying I only was able to convince him to teach me the very basics. Even then he only seemed to be willing to teach me half-heartedly.

Nothing I said or did seemed to budge him. I had actually begun to resign myself to the little that he was willing to part with.

That was at least until he found out my Origin.

Then everything changed.

_A dual origin is a rare thing Shirou._

How rare?

_So rare, that you and me are the only ones that I personally know of that have one._

While I still ended up learning nothing of what I then thought as 'real' magic. Nothing to do with fighting or anything that may have been useful in helping me in accomplishing my dream of becoming a hero. Despite his change of heart, Kiritsugu viciously guarded me from any form of magic he deemed dangerous.

Which was almost everything really. Magic, or Magecraft as he called it, was a very dangerous art after all. I did however learn the fundamental theories that make up Magecraft and developed a better understand of how the supernatural world worked but that was pretty much it.

_You only have a single element, which is Sword, just like that of your origin._

_When an element and origin match, it makes your magic incredibly specialized. Enabling you to cast spells in your field of speciality that no one can match._

_Consequently, it will make it almost impossible for you to cast a spell outside of your element, except for the most basic of spells._

_Even then it will take you years of practice to do what would take another Magus mere days to learn._

While I knew he said that to discourage me, I didn't mind. I was willing to work as hard and as long as it takes. Besides, at the time I thought having a magic based on swords was really cool. Kiritsugu just laughed when I told him.

_However, your element may only be one but your origin is dual-natured. Though it is unlikely to have any real effects on your Thaumaturgy._

Why?

_An origin doesn't have anything directly to do with your magecraft; it instead tells more about what kind of person you are and what path in life you'll follow._

_It is questionable if you would ever be any to cast any spells relating to your second Origin. With a paired element-origin of Sword and with you lacking any of the 5 Primary elements, it borders on impossible for you to do so._

_You just might be able to scrap some of the low levels spells at best but even that is unlikely, and even if you succeed I highly doubt it will be anything impressive._

He was right. Even after all these years, I haven't learned a single thing than can be referred to as a proper spell when it came to my second origin.

I probably never will either.

_Do not be mistaken, despite its name your origin has nothing to do with the third magic. While there may appear to be some similarity between the two, in reality they're completely different._

_The third magic is the magic of the soul and the power to control it._

_Your origin however deals with what's within the soul and the ability to understand it._

I didn't understand what he meant of the time, but I just nodded along anyway.

_Honestly, you will probably be never gain anything of use from it in combat. Other than helping you better understand and emphasis with people, I doubt you'll gain anything of worth from it._

_But then again, perhaps if I had a bit more empathy back then I wouldn't have…_

Kiritsugu does them sometimes, were he just drifts of in a middle of speaking and loses himself in his thoughts. I never thought anything of it back then. To me he was old, and old people did that all the time right? He kept doing it more and more as he got older after all.

_Shirou,_

_I still won't teach you anything but the basics and theories. But I think that second origin of yours can do the world some good._

I didn't understand why Kiritsugu needed to state the obvious. Of course it will be good for the world. I was gonna be a Hero wasn't I? Again, he just laughed at me when I told him.

_But really, who ever heard of such an absurd thing?_

_A dual-origin of_

_'Spirit and Sword'_

* * *

The sun broke out from behind the clouds, sending life-giving light pouring down onto the smooth white surface of the rooftop. The muffled shouts and cheers of the playing students made its way up from the courtyard below, giving the place a lively atmosphere despite its current unoccupied state. A soothing gentle breeze flowed through the rooftop, ruffling the bangs of my hair in passing and cooling my warm body.

At this moment, there was perhaps no better location in the entire school. A place of peace and tranquility where any weary student can come to rest their body and soul.

But of course I noticed none of it.

I had no time to waste on such foolishness, oh no. Something far more worthy is currently holding my attention. I leaned back to better take the sigh of it in, to bask in its presence. A more beautiful sight I had never seen.

In front of me was an open lunch-box.

Filled with rice so white and fluffed up it looked to be made from flakes of the purest snow. Shrimp tempura that has been baked to such a perfect shade of brown that it shone like glittering gold in the sunlight. Fresh green vegetables carved into the shapes of flowers lined the edges of the box, paired with slices of brightly colored fruits, giving the entire ensemble an almost aesthetic feel to it. And finally, the very heart of this masterpiece, ten perfectly boiled sausages sliced up to form little octopuses… with tiny little smiles on their faces.

It…it was beautiful, simply beautiful.

Is this what Fuji-nee felt whenever I cooked for her? Is this why she went crazy whenever she didn't get the chance to sample my food? If so, then I understand. I completely one hundred percent understand. My cooking is freaking awesome.

Pride. That was the Sin that had been placed upon me when I had willingly chosen to abandon my human form and replaced it with that of a Devil instead. Once, I had thought of it as nothing more than a burden for me to bear. A Sin no different than what the Bible had claimed it to be.

But I was wrong, so very very wrong.

Not long after my transformation, I had discovered that my Pride had manifested itself in primarily two forms outside of the general feeling of self-pride. The first was in my swords. To me my swords have always been tools, a means to an end. The cause that I would wield them for was something that I could be proud of, never the swords themselves.

As even from the start I knew that they were flawed. Compared to the real thing my blades were defective copies. Even the greatest of my swords would be found lacking when placed side-by-side to its predecessor. The reason for their strength lies not in the skills of my craft but the majesty of the original swords. So what reason was there to take pride in when the swords that I craft with my hands can never match the one that I picture in my mind?

However that was how it was in the past, it no longer holds any truth in the present reality. Since my arrival to this dimension and my reincarnation as a Devil, my skills have grown. With no resistance from Gaia for me to fight when I cast my projections, with no constant deterioration to my swords, I can now create swords of far better quality with significantly less effort than I ever had been able to before.

Add in the boost in quality and power that my circuits have received, and I have finally been able to the bridge the gap. No longer are my swords defects, inferiors. While not quite the level of the original, they can now stand by its side with their predecessor without shame.

I have finally found pride in my swords.

The second manifestation of my Pride appeared in a completely unexpected manner. Although now that I look back on it, it should not have been such a surprise. After all my first form of Pride appeared in my skills in crafting swords, it only stands to reason that my second one would also be linked to another one of skills.

Still, I never would have expected it to be cooking.

That's right people I, Emiya Shirou, have sold my eternal soul and have been transformed into the fiendish and despicable form of a Cooking Devil. Hide your children and run away before I cook you all a demonic dinner…

…The sad part is I really should have seen something like this coming when I decided to sell my soul to a Devil that was dressed up as a Magic girl.

And there goes Archer laughing his ass off again.

But really despite the sound of it, it has actually been great. I have never realized how good my cooking was before. Sure I've had many people complement me on my cooking. Fuji-nee would end up shedding tears of anguish if I fail to cook her at least one meal a day and even Saber, a king, loved my cooking.

But it was not until I finally tasted my own cooking as a Devil and realized how amazingly good it was did I finally believed them. Till then I always thought they were exaggerating or simply praised me because they were unwilling or unable to cook for themselves. How did I never notice how good I was before I'll never know.

Pride may still be a sin but it makes my food taste so much better. That alone would have made turning to a Devil totally worth it. Hell, if it meant I can enjoy life even more than as far as I'm concerned more Sin is a great thing. Banzai for sin, Banzai for debauchery.

Speaking of tasting better, it was time for me to finally enjoy my food.

Snapping open a pair of wooden chopsticks, I picked up a nice good chunk of my rice. Closing my eyes to better savor the taste, I opened my mouth and slowly brought the rice up to my lips before snapping my jaws over…nothing apparently.

I opened my eyes and looked down to find my chopsticks empty of rice and without even the slights of signs of where it may have gone. Confused, I glanced around to find out where it had gone when I froze in place as I caught sight of a familiar looking girl.

_Ilya!?_

Almost instantly, without conscious thought or will, I had begun to look within her soul before my common sense kicked in and I quickly stopped myself before catching anything more than the barest glimpse of what lies within her.

Giving my head a quick shake to clear my mind from the stupid mistake I had almost committed, I shut my eyes and took a moment to collect myself. Once I was done, I deliberately turned back towards my unexpected visitor and this time I made sure to give the girl next to me a proper look before jumping to any conclusion.

No, not Ilya. Though I could not blame myself for mistaking this girl for her. They did look remarkably alike.

She was a little slip of a girl and were she not wearing the Kuoh academy uniform, I would have easily mistaken her for a Middle schooler. The Snow white hair of her bangs cascade down past her shoulders while the hair in the back of her head was cut into a short bob cut. She had a pair of black cat-shaped hair clips attached to the side of her head which held her hair in place. Light golden eyes peered out of a childish looking face, which held an expression so empty of emotion it almost made her look like a doll.

Small grains of rice dotted her checks around the sides of her mouth, which gave a general idea on the fate of my missing rice. Well, that and the way her eyes never stopped focusing on the remainder of the food in my lunch box was all I needed to confirm my suspicion. So intently was she focused on the food that she ignored everything else around her, even me.

Watching her stare at my food with obvious such longing, despite her expressionless face, brought an amused smile to my face. She looked so much like a kid staring yearningly at sweets through the front window of a candy store, it was adorable.

Shaking my head in bewilderment at the whole situation, I picked up my lunch box all the while noticing with concealed amusement as how her eyes tracked it. I paused halfway through my intended action as an amusing, and very Serafall, idea hit me. It was a little cruel but now that I got the idea in my head I couldn't resist.

Keeping a careful eye on the girl I slowly began lifting my lunch till it reached head level, my head that is, which was a full foot above hers. As expected, her eyes rose to keep track of it, all the while her head remained perfectly still. I then lowered the lunch box down to just under chest level and again her eyes continued to follow it.

I just stared at her, before I felt my lips slowly twist into an oh so wicked grin.

I abruptly shifted the box to left and then right, watching as her eyes quickly jumps to the sides in quick succession as she successfully followed it. After that up, right, left, up again and all the way down.

Soon I was moving my hands so fast that it practically blurred as I moved it sideways, diagonally, forwards, backwards, in a circle, flipped it over then twisted it in the air and whatever else I could think of, before finally bringing it to an abrupt halt right in front of my chest.

And her eyes was still locked onto my lunch box, never once having lost track of it or even shifting her head, despite my best efforts.

I was wrong. She didn't resemble a kid in front of a candy store; she was more like a cat eyeing a fish being dangled in front of her. It was absolutely hilarious.

Having hand my share of fun for the moment, and after one quick look to check on the food and reassure myself that my magic did its job at protecting the contents, I handed over my lunch to her. The slight widening of her eyes was the first sign of emotion I'd seen on her face all day, before she finally tore her eyes away from the lunch box and looked up at me questioningly.

"Take it." Giving her a nod, "You clearly want it more than I do."

Her hand twitched from where they sat on her knees before slowly reaching out to my lunch box, all the while never taking her eyes off me. Just as she was about to reach it her hands paused just inches away from the box, then with a blur of motion, she snatched it out of my hands.

She clutch the lunch box to her chest and scooted a few paces backwards, glaring suspiciously all the while as if I would try to take it back the moment she looked away. If she didn't look so much like a cross between a stray cat and a pouting Ilya, I would have been offended. Did she really think I would try to steal food from a little kid? I mean what did I look like a Devil?

Oh, right.

From her point of view a Devil had just offered her, a little girl, a box of free food while in a secluded area where no one can see or hear us.

Putting it that way, I wouldn't trust me either.

Keeping her eyes still locked on me, she picked up the chopstick that I left in the box, picked up a piece of tempura and took a bite of it. I could tell the exact moment the food hit her taste buds, it was when she stopped all movement and her eyes widened in surprise. For some reason I didn't understand, I could easily picture a pair of cat ears appearing from the top of her and jumping straight up in startlement.

Slowly, almost mechanically, she turned her head to look down at the rest of the food in her lap with an expression of wonder painted on her face, before launching towards it and devouring the food as quickly as she can.

After that, considering the almost of attention she spared me, I might as well not have existed as far as she was considered.

Seeing how much she was enjoying my cooking brought a smile to much face. I may now have Pride in my food, but it was still surpassed by my Pride and joy in people enjoying it. And considering that she now resembled a starving grizzly bear rather than a feline as she wolfed the food down, I can safely assume she likes it.

Even though it was supposed to be my lunch, I really didn't mind. I wasn't that hungry anyway and the kid looked like she could use a bit of meat on her bones, she was way too tiny for her age. Besides I packed an extra-large lunch today, more than I could have finished on my own. There is no way a tiny girl not even half my size could finish it all.

I'm sure there would be enough leftovers for me to snack on.

* * *

By the root of the world and all of its secrets, what the hell was she?

When I first saw her I compared her to Ilya. I was wrong, by the Maou himself I was wrong. This girl was no Ilya, she was a Saber if anything. If I hadn't seen the King of Knights herself putting away more food that three men double her size I would have sworn that what I was seeing was impossible.

As it was, it still surprised me enough that I was sure if my jaw hung any lower, I would feel the tip of my chin scrap across the concrete floor of the rooftop.

One and a half minutes. In a little under 90 seconds this little sprite of a girl less than a third of my size put away more food than I could have eaten in an hour. And she still looked unsatisfied by the amount, as she continued to dig for bits scraps inside of the now empty lunch.

I knew who she was of course, I learned the name of every Devil in both the school and the entire city, and it didn't take me long to recognize her as I observed her demolish my lunch.

Her name was Toujou Koneko. A former full-blooded Nekomata, possibly the last Nekoshou living in Devil society and currently a Rook to the heir of the Gremory Clan.

I knew all of this, as I was given a file detailing all the essential information I needed to know about the supernatural beings in the city before I arrived, but why did nobody think to inform me about the bloody devourer of worlds that was pretending to be a little girl, I'd never know. Her stomach wasn't even bulging! Where did all the food go?

The clatter of plastic hitting concrete drew me from my thoughts as I realized she had already finished up her search for any scrap of food and had set the now empty lunch box down.

She peered up at me from where she sat, her legs folded beneath her, before she slowly lowered her head in a small bow.

"Thank you for the meal."

I cracked a smile at that, "You very welcome." While I never cared if I was ever thanked, I never did what I do for praise after all, it still felt nice. An old habit from taking care of Ilya kicked in and I reflexively stretched my hand out to pat her head-

_NO!_

-When she jumped back in fright, eyes flashing wide with terrors, her body poised and tensed beneath her as if she was ready to run at a moment noticed.

Though barely noticeable, my eyes were sharp enough to catch the way her body slightly trembled even over her panicked panting breaths.

For a handful of seconds I froze, my mind rushing at the implication of her actions, before I acted quickly and slowly withdrew my hand away from her.

"Ah, sorry about that." I told her with an embarrassed smile as I leaned back and scratched the side of my head. "It's a habit I gotten from my little sister. For the weirdest reason she likes it when I pat her head and gets upset at me if I don't do it often enough. I swear, sometimes I think that girl's part puppy from how she behaves."

The entire time I made sure to talk in calm and controlled tone of voice, all the while being careful not to make any sudden movement or get any closer to her than I already was.

I pretended not to notice the way she watched me as she did so, how her eye would track my every movement, the way she would twitch whenever she saw my hand move. I ignored it all and continued talking on as if nothing was wrong. And it worked.

Gradually, her trembling began to subside before stopping completely, her breathing steadily slowed down till they were clam even breathes, and finally her muscles were released from its tense state as ever so slowly she began to relax.

It felt like it like hours has passed while it probably hadn't even been a minute, but eventually she was able to calm down.

Me on the other hand, I was anything but calm. The farthest thing from it actually, despite my outward appearance to the contractually, I was furious. The way she flinched, her almost reflexive panic at my unexpected touch, I recognized them…

…They were signs of physical abuse.

I could feel my fury rage deep inside of my chest, burning so hot that I'm surprised it didn't scorch my skin, at the mere idea of someone harming this little girl. The thought of someone hurting her, she that looked so much like my Ilya, made me see red. I wanted to scream, to yell. I wanted to demand that she tell me who did this to her, so can I go hunt them and hurt them.

But I did no such thing. I knew I would end up doing more harm than good if I did any of those things. Right now I was a complete stranger to this girl, one that she had no reason to trust. Falling into a self-righteous rage will only frighten her away. If I wanted to help, I needed her to trust me or at least feel comfortable around me to lower her guard.

Still the only reason why I didn't immediately drag her away to somewhere safe, consequence be damned, was because it didn't look like she was still being abused. I didn't notice any signs of bruises from what little of her skin I could see, no flinch of pain whenever she moved either. That she felt safe enough that she was even willing to approach a stranger like me, no matter how cautiously, was a good sign as well.

Plus she was a part of that Gremory's Peerage. No matter my personal dislike for the Gremorys, I knew that they were the least likely family in the entire Underworld to ever abuse their servants, let alone one as young as her. So at least I knew she was safe with them.

Still, safe or not there is no way I'm letting this go. The first chance I get, I was going looked into Toujou Koneko's past. And if those that did this were still out there…

But that was later, for now the best thing I can do for her was pretend nothing happened. No one liked to be reminded of their scars after all, emotional or physical ones, and they like being pitied even less.

"So," I said when the atmosphere finally began to approach normal again, "did you want anything from me? Other than my lunch of course." I added with a smile.

It was unlikely that we ended up meeting by chance. This was a fairly secluded place and away from the more popular lunch spots, which was the reason why I ended up choosing it.

Her nod confirmed my suspicions, "Buchou wanted to speak to you."

'Buchou'? I tilted my head in confusion. Who was that? The way she said it however was familiar. Almost reminded me how Sona's peerage kept referring to her as Kaichou – Oh!

"You mean Rias Gremory?" I asked.

She nodded again. Seems like my guess was right but still, what's with the weird titles those two insist on being called by. Is it a Devil heir thing I'm not aware about?

…Or maybe by choosing their own titles, they get to avoid someone giving them one instead. If so I wish someone told about it early, I would have avoided this whole of 'Queen of Sword' fiasco.

"Sure, I got nothing important planned for the day. When does Gremory wants to meet me?"

"Right awa-" the ringing of the school bells cut her off before she could complete her sentence.

Huh, looks like we've been here longer than either of us thought. The again, I doubted she planned to take a lunch break when she went looking for me.

"Looks like we need to get going if we want to get back to class in time." I stood up and dusted off my pants. "How about I meet up with this Buchou of yours after school instead?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding in agreement as she rose as well. We both began to make our way down the stairwell and when we reached the first landing I stopped and turned to face her.

"Great, send someone to pick me after classes are done. I'll be waiting in my homeroom." I told her with a wave goodbye as she continued down to floor first floor that was designated to freshmen while I reminded on the third floor that was reserved for the seniors.

Once she was no longer in sight I turned around and began to make my way back to the classroom. The smile that I was carrying slipped off my face now that she could no longer see me.

Really, even when I'm not looking for trouble it seems to find me. Oh well, it could have been worse. I would much rather find out about these things rather than allow them to happen around me while I carried on with my life oblivious to it all. This was my only path after all.

Still, as I made my way back to class I could not help but think back to the small glimpse I caught of the girl's spirit. I could not help but wonder.

What could have possibly happened to make a girl as young as her willingly build a wall around her soul?

* * *

I sensed the Bounded Field as soon as I crossed it. It was a simple one, made to keep normal people from wandering in. It wouldn't do anything to stop anyone with even a lick of supernatural power, but I guess it doesn't need to do its job. Still, it's a waste to go through all the effort of setting up a Bounded Field and not equipped with some at least some basic defensive measures. As far as I can sense the thing didn't even act as a warning system.

Devil and Magus Bounded Fields had a lot in common when it came to the end result, at least the basic versions of them did, but the process of how they functioned were completely different.

For one, the Bounded Fields created by Magecraft was far more intricate than their Devil counterpart. Even the simplest of those Bounded Fields is as complicated as an advanced calculus formula, and that's when it's only function is to act as a warning system. For the ones that actually do something truly impressive, such as the one used to hide the Einzbern Castle from the rest of the world, is so far beyond my comprehension that I cannot even begin to describe the basics of its construction. Rin probably could but, well, she's Rin. Enough said.

Devil Bounded Fields, however, are a completely different matter. They are so simple that Pure-Blooded Devils are taught how to begin constructing basic ones at the age of twelve. There were actual classes at the Devil Middles School in the underworld that teach them and are considered to be only an intermediate level magic.

The difference between the two is understandable when you take account that Devils can bend magic to their will. For Magus, they needed to use a complex system sigils and equations to construct a Bounded Field. Devils on the other hand only needed a single magic circle carved into the center of the place they wanted to build the Field. The Magic circle used is one designed to help the user form a Bounded Field. It works by reading the 'intent' of magic that flows through it and creates a field based on the spell casters desires. Through this method a single properly trained Devil can set up a rudimentary Bounded Field in less than an hour. Most teenage Devils are more than capable of doing this.

Designing an original magical circle to help in the construction of a Bounded Field is an incredibly difficult thing to do. That is why Devils tend to simply copy these circles from a premade stock designs rather than make one of their own. Theses magic circles designs are publicly sold and can be found in magical book stores in the underworld, although the ones sold tend to be copies of widely used ones.

…Yes there are magic bookstores in the underworld, I was surprised too.

Most Pureblooded Devil Clans use personally designed magical circles when constructing their Bounded Fields, just like how they have their own personal summoning circles. It often acts like a calling card, allowing Devils to recognize the owner of the Bounded Fields. All territories owned by the large clans have a simple Bounded Filed traced over their borders to allow other Devil to know whose land they were entering.

That is why I can instantly tell this was a Gremory owned bounded field. When Serafall made me her Queen she gave me a crash course of all the essential things I needed to know. That included the ability to recognize all the different magical signatures of the 72 Pillars, and this one has Gremory written all over it.

Of course, the more sophisticated bounded fields, like the ones used in the Rating Games are a complete different matter. Those are so difficult to make that there are actually Devils who dedicated their lives to mastering that form of magic and they charge a premium for anyone who wanted to make use their skills.

The only downside for the Devils method of creating Bounded fields is the amount of magic needed to set up and maintain them, which is far larger than its magus counterpart. Take the one I just crossed as I was making my way through the small forest that claimed what would have been the backyard of Kuoh Academy.

It was at least a few dozen yards long when measured from the radius, making it only slightly larger than the one that was set up around my old home in Fuyuki City. If this one was made in a similar manner to the one Kiritsugu set up, then it will sustain itself indefinitely requiring only the ambient Mana in the air to sustain itself and only the occasional upkeep to maintain its condition.

This Bounded Field was a Devil based one and will require several times more power to function. It cannot sustain itself on the Mana in the air and will instead need to be fueled by Devils instead. I'm no expert at it, but I'm guessing that the amount of Mana needed to fuel this field for a week would be more than an average Magus back home could produce in an entire day and that was for a basic Bounded Field. The average Devil can easily produce dozens of times more Mana than the average magus, so that is not a really problem for them.

"Sorry about the long walk, Buchou took a real liking to the old school building and insisted on basing our club room there. Something about the old-fashioned feel of the place. Personally I just liked the place simply because it's far away from everything else. It's private, something that's a little hard for me to find at school."

Looking at the boy next to me I could totally understand where he was coming from. I have only been here for a day and I had already seen how badly the girls hounded him.

Kiba Yuuto was a blond haired teenaged boy with a pair of unusual steel-grey eyes. He was tall for his age, just a couple of inches shorter than me, with a slim but muscular build. Even if I hadn't read his file I would have realized he was a Knight right away. The way he walked, how he easily maintained his balance even on the uneven ground of the forest floor, the calluses that formed in the palm of his hand, all hinted in someone that was trained in the art of the sword.

He was also what would was known as a 'pretty boy'. Really, he had a face that could put most models to shame. His skin looked paler and softer than most girls and his hair was such a rich shade of yellow it glittered like gold in the sun light. Hell, the kid even had a beauty mark under his left eye. Known as the 'Prince' of Kuoh Academy, he was greatly adored by the female half of the student population and equally despised by the male half.

Me, I just felt sorry for the guy. While he tried to hide it, I could easily tell how much he hated being relentlessly pursued by the girls all day yet being denied the company of his fellow males. Poor kid, as far as I can tell the guy didn't even have a single male friend. Hell, outside of his Peerage he didn't appear to even have a friend, period.

Yet, just like Koneko he didn't allow any of it to show in his face. He just dealt with everything life threw at him with a smile on his face.

…Really, why do I keep running into these kinds of people today?

"Don't worry about it. I needed a chance to stretch my legs anyway. It's been so long since I've been back inside a classroom I'd forgotten how much sitting it involved." I told him as we made our away around a fallen tree that partially blocked the road.

"So you've been away to school for a while?" He was walking a couple of paces a head of me and a little bit off to the side as he led the way, so he had to look over his shoulder if he wanted to face me as he spoke.

"For about a year now. I had so much stuff to learn since my resurrection that I simply didn't have the time to go and before that, well…" I shrugged, "I had some personal issue to deal with."

"I see." Clearly understanding that I didn't want to talk about it, he changed the subject, "Well, were almost to there. We just have to get around that tree over there and the old school building will be in sight."

Just as he said, the moment we passed the tree, I caught sight of our destination.

It was a beautiful old wooden building with a western feel to its design. Two-floors high, with a small clock tower rising from the middle of the roof over the entrance, it was huge. Easily big enough to hold a hundred people with room to spare. Three large windows lined the wall on either side of great door that served as its entrance, with more windows on the upper floor. Despite its age it's clear that the place has been kept well maintained as the wall had a fresh coat of paint and the roof was properly tiled despite the constant rain that plagued this area.

When I first heard that the Occult Research Club room was located in the old abandon school building, I admit I had expected to see an old broken down wooden building that was one step away from being condemned. I mean it was an Occult club, filled with actual Devils, it's only naturally the place would have been creepy as hell.

I should have known better than to expect Devils to live in anything less than opulence. I gotta admit though, I'm kind a disappointed. I was really hoping for some kind of haunted mansion.

As we made our way to the entrance, I decided now would be a good a time as any to broach the subject, as I doubted I'll get another chance to speak to him alone after we reached the club room.

"So…how are dealing with the Trait?"

He actually stopped in his tracks at my words, one foot hanging in the air half way through his step, while he gapped at me in surprise. Now that I think about it, this was the first time I saw him without that pasted on smile of his.

It only took a moment for him to regain his composer before he carried on walking.

"So you noticed?" Even with his smile back in place, it was clear how uncomfortable the topic was making him feel.

I just gave him a shrug in return, "It's kind of hard not to notice with how those girls keep following you around like little ducklings."

"I, I didn't...I mean, I don't…ahh," Poor kid kept fumbling over his words in his panic.

Feeling kind of bad that I reduced him into such a state, I decided to throw him a bone. "I know." I told him firmly.

"You do?" he actually seemed surprised by that.

"Anyone can tell that you hate being chased by those girls. It doesn't take a genius to tell that there is no way you're going to abuse that Trait of yours. It wouldn't even surprise me if you wanted to get rid of it if you could."

His relief was almost palpable. I couldn't honestly blame him, if our situations were reversed I would have been worried what other people may think of me too.

Poor bastard, I mean what are the odds that he ended up with a Devil's Trait.

Worse, he ended up with the Charm variety. It causes any girl that even glances at his face to become instantly infatuated, even if they were already in a relationship. No wonder all of the guys hated him, they probably thought he was actively trying to steal their girlfriends.

Thankfully Traits only seemed to affect humans, so none of the girls in his Peerage should have any problems with it. The only upside of the situation is that the Trait ended up manifesting in someone like Kiba. I shudder to think about what would have happened if it ended up in the hands of a more unscrupulous Devil.

The slight squeaking of hinges made me realize that we reached the front entrance and that Kiba had already open the doors and was motioning me through.

Again I felt the telltale signs of a Bounded Field wash over me as I stepped through the entrance. These however were much better than the ones that circled the forest; they actually had some defensive capabilities. It acted as a simple warning system that will allow anyone tied into the Field to know whenever someone enters its range, and it also prevents anyone not recognized as part of the Gremory Clan from teleporting in.

It wasn't much but it was better than anything I had expected. For a second there I was worried that neither Sona nor the Gremory had put up any defensive measures what so ever. I knew that Sona's home was well protected but she neglected to do the same for the school.

I planned to talk to them about it and see if I can convince them to set up a few more defenses. If that doesn't work I could always follow Serafall's advice and start pranking them until they start setting up strong enough wards to protect themselves from me.

According to her that how she trained Sona on how to ward her room properly. Apparently it only took stealing Sona's diary three times and reading it out loud during dinar for her to throw herself into studying every warding type of Bounded Fields she could get her hands on to find a way to keep her sister out of her stuff.

In a little over a week she had her room warded up so well that no Middle-class Devil could break into it without her permission. It wasn't enough to stop Serafall of course, if she really wanted to it wouldn't even slow her down, but that was never the point.

"Have you considered simply using some form of compulsion spell to keep the girls away?" I asked, more for something to talk about as we made our way through the building rather than genuine curiosity.

He shook his head as we started to climb up the stairs. "I've never been good with mind magic, I always felt uncomfortable using it except to prevent knowledge about the supernatural from spreading. Besides Buchou would hate it if the girls suddenly started ignoring me. She has some kind of competition going on with Sona on who has the most popular Peerage."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "They'd compete over something like that?"

"You'd be surprised. According to Akeno they used to compete over everything as children. Now that I think about it they still do." He halted before a large wooden double door. "We're here."

He stretched out a hand towards the door knob but seemed to hesitate for a second before he turned and faced me.

"About Buchou, I'd like to apologies if she acts inappropriate." He seemed to feel really awkward about the topic, "It's just that with you and her brother…"

Ah, so that what it's about. "Don't worry, I understand," I assured him, "If I was her I would probably be a little bit hostile as well."

He flashed me a thankful smile at that before turning back towards the doors again and swinging it wide open.

"Buchou," he called out as we walked in, "I'm back and I brought Emiya-san with me."

The interior of what I presumed to be the Occult Research Club's primary club room was completely different from the rest of the old school's design.

It had rich wooden-paneled walls that would have gleamed in the light if the room hadn't been so poorly lit. As far as I can tell the place had no functional lights and the only source of illumination came from the lit candles that were scatter across the room. Victorian-style coaches and chairs were arranged into on the left side of the room while the right side was cleared of furniture to make room for the large magic circle that was carved into the floor. On one side of the wall across the room from me was covered by a thin silk sheet that concealed a-

_-Is that a SHOWER?_

"Holy shit, Sona was wrong. You're not a nudist, you're a bloody exhibitionist." I blurted out the words before I even realized what I was doing, as I found myself pointing an accusing finger towards the silhouette of the figure that I could see through the curtain of the still running shower.

"WHAT!" The figure, who I presumed to be Rias, squawked. "What has been Sona telling you? And I'm not an exhibitionist, I just like taking showers."

"Oh don't you dare lie to me, you little pervert." I retorted. "I sensed the Bounded Field that covered the entire building the moment I crossed it. There is no way you didn't know I wasn't coming and you had more than enough time to get out of the shower before I got here. Which means you wanted me to catch you showering!

"By the madness of Zelretch himself, what the hell is wrong is with you Devils? You have a Maou that's a Magic Girl cosplayer, another one that apparently a nudist and now I find his little sister is an exhibitionist. Is every Devil out there a pervert or just the ones that I run into?"

"What –no – I – Argh" she finally just yelled out in frustration, "Just-just wait right there. I'm coming out." I heard a small metal squeak before the sound of the shower tapered off.

While I waited for her to appear I looked around the room and immediately spotted Koneko lounging on one of the couches with her usual blank face in place. I just gave her a deadpanned look and said, "What, don't tell me you're a pervert too?"

I considered it my win when her face flushed and she gave me an angry scowl in response to my comment. Good, children her age shouldn't have such a blank face. Kids should laugh when their happy, yell when their angry and cry when their sad. They shouldn't just sit there expressionless all the time no matter what their feeling. It's just plain wrong.

"Now, now," a voice called out as the final occupant of the room made her presence known, "don't be mean to our little Koneko."

A figure stepped out from where she was standing in one of the corners of the room, one I didn't notice before as she was hidden by the shadows and gloom of the place.

She was a young and rather tall girl, with a shapely figure and long dark cascading hair that she had tied up in a ponytail. Out of all the Devils in the Peerage I've met so far, she was the only one who could have passed as Japanese at first glance. Her violet eyes seemed to sparkle with barely concealed amusement, something that reminded me a little too much of Serafall. The teasing smile she had on her face and her following words didn't do anything to dissuade me of that impression.

This must be Himejima Akeno, the Gremory's Queen.

"Besides, she may not be a pervert but I certainly am." The way her smile turned predatory told me that she wasn't kidding.

…I have no idea what to say to that.

Fortunately I didn't have to because at that very moment the shower curtain was pushed open to reveal another young girl.

The unmistakable crimson of her hair marked her as Gremory. It fell down her back and ended just past her waist and though she had just stepped out of the shower there wasn't even a hint of moister on them. Like Akeno she had a full-figured body but with pale skin and blue eyes that were the exact same shade as Sirzechs. Even without the red hair I would have no trouble believing that they were siblings.

If I had been a normal person I would probably have found her beautiful. If I hadn't been exposed to the supernatural appearance of the female Servants I may have been captivated by her sight. As it stands however I have been exposed to them. I have seen Saber's elegance and grace, Rider's unhuman beauty that was envied even by the very gods and had even caught a small glimpse of Caster's delicate elfin face when she lowered her hood moments before her death.

Compared to them her beautify simple paled in comparison. She was still attractive but only humanly so. So instead of being captivated by her beauty that many had warned me that I most likely would, all I could feel instead was a mild sense of disappointment.

I must confess I was expecting….more.

When I first heard of Sirzechs's sister, I had expected a younger female version of him. I had built up an image in my head of a young girl that would one day become her brother's equal and what I see before simply fell short.

Sirzechs was, simply put, a monster. There is no other way to describe him. Even compared to the Heroic Spirits of the Holy Grail, he would have still been no less of a monster. For all of my distaste of him, even I can't deny his strength. Just standing in his presence had caused my newly discovered Devil ability to sense magic to quickly become overwhelmed.

When I first fought him I thought I had a chance of winning. I thought that when he had made the mistake of allowing me the opportunity to summon my Reality Marble I could win despite the large gulf in raw power. At one point, near the end, I even had him on the ropes. But then he revealed his true form and I was crushed. I barely realised what was happening before he overwhelmed me with nothing but pure power.

Sirzechs was an absolute monster, while Rias….simply wasn't.

Really, this was Sirzechs's sister?

She was literally a little girl compared to him. A part of me pointed out that I was being unfair, that Sona herself was around the same level as Rias but I didn't try to compare her to Serafall. Another part of me countered that Sona at least was a genius…besides I liked Sona, I couldn't say the same for Gremorys.

"You must be Emiya Shirou," Rias Gremory said as her approached me. Halting a couple of paces away, she crossed her arms bellow her breast causing them to jump upwards, while she took a moment to look me over. "While we didn't have a chance to be properly introduced before, this is not the first time we had seen each other. I was member of the audience when you fought my brother."

Now, normally I was never the kind of guy that would stare at a lady's breasts but I was having trouble keeping my eyes off Rias's. Not because I wanted to look at them but because they were so freaking big. I mean maybe it's the way she keeps pushing them up when she crossed her arms, but they looked huge and I mean like beach balls big-

"-OK stop, just stop," I interrupted whatever she was saying when I couldn't take it anymore, I wasn't listening anyway. I pointed towards those overinflated water balloons that she calls breasts. "There is no was those things are real right? I mean they just got to be fake. "

"What!?" her face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. "My breast are natural! Take it back."

"Nice try missy." I shook a finger at her. "I may be a new Devil but even I know that we can shape shift. You probably used your powers to make them bigger, didn't you? There is no way those things are natural. I mean look at them, they look like you stuffed watermelons in your bra."

Her face turned a shade of red so deep that it matched her hair. Off to the side, I noticed how Akeno was leaning over with her arms wrapped around her stomach in her effort to contain her laughter. Rias just continued to glare at me, too angry to trust herself to speak, before her face underwent a transformation as she just shot me a superior smirk.

"Whatever you say…Queenie." I bolted upright when I heard that accursed nickname – Oh yeah, this bitch was Sirzechs's sister alright. Only that bastard would ever call me that.

"Ok children, that's enough." Akeno clapped her hands twice and walked in between us. "As much as I enjoy watching you two squabble, I believe you had something important you wanted to talk to Emiya-san about."

Rias, whether at her Queen's words or her ability to get in the parting shot in, nodded her head in acceptance. She took a moment to compose herself before she waved a hand towards one of the empty chairs. "That right, Emiya if you would please have a seat I'll get to the point of the meeting."

Seeing her trying to pretend out little spat didn't happen, I decided to do the same. I walked to the chair she indicated and sat down while Rias and Akeno walked around the coffee table and occupied the sofa across from me.

Rias cleared her throat for a moment before she began to speak. "I'm not sure if you have noticed, seeing as you just have recently arrived, but there is currently a Fallen Angel on campus."

"And you want me to deal with them?" My voice sounding incredulous even to my own ears. I'm honestly surprised, I never thought she would be willing to allow me to get involved in anyway. I was sure she would have reacted to my presence like Sona did, if not worse, and would want me to stay out of her way, not help her out.

Well, this was good news at least. It will make it easier for me to prepare them if I can work alongside them.

"No, quite the opposite actually." She said, instantly dashing any hope I had of making my job easier. "I want you to stay away from her."

Now this caught me by surprise. "Because you want to deal with her yourself?" Well, that was understandable. This was her territory and for a Fallen to wander into what was the heart of it was nothing short of insult.

While there was no official agreement to the cease fire between the Three Factions, there was an unwritten rule that basically stated that any member caught in territory of an opposing faction are free game and can be dealt with however the owner of the territory wished. That the Fallen would enter at all meant they were either confident that they wouldn't get caught or believed that the owners were too weak to do anything to stop them.

I also wasn't worried about the Fallen being something that they couldn't handle. The guards that patrolled the city's borders would prevent any dangerous strays from entering and would have informed me if any powerful Angels, Fallen or otherwise, were seen entering the city. Though that was also unlikely to happen.

The other two members of the Three Factions are no doubt aware that the sisters of the Maous are in this city and are simply not willing to send anything that may threaten them. Not only would it send the wrong message, but there is always the small chance of a scuffle breaking out. They didn't want to risk sending anyone that may actually have a chance of killing one of them and kick-starting another war.

There is a reason why nothing higher than two-winged Fallen exist within the borders of the city. Their job isn't to fight anyone here, just to keep an eye on things and report back if anything unusual happens.

"No, I do not want that fallen to be harmed in any way. In fact, I don't even want her to know that we are aware of her presence." Rias smirked, "It seems like the little crow tried to sneak in and believes she had gotten away with it."

"Ok, now you lost me." I told them frankly, "Why aren't you doing anything about her and why bother telling me about it?

"The reason why we're informing you about the situation is because we know that the moment you catch so much a whiff of what was going on you'll try to involve yourself if we don't stop you." It was Akeno that answered me this time. "I'm not sure if you're aware of it but despite only recently becoming a Devil you've begun to build quite a reputation for yourself in the underworld. You're renowned as a busy body, sticking your nose into everything and helping out anyone in trouble no matter what kind of mess it will drag you in."

What!? I didn't know that. It wasn't even my fault that I kept finding trouble…or at least not completely.

I mean it's not like I meant to walk into the middle of a Cthulhu Ritual where a bunch of Devils were trying to sacrifice a group of kidnapped children from the Extra family. I was just looking for the bathroom. And after I saw that I couldn't just walk away now could I?

Serafall did warn me about how my luck will change as Devil, I just didn't think she was being serious. When I told her what happened she just congratulated me on my first accident Cthulhu ritual discovery. Apparently it happens often enough that the Maous consider it a rite of passage into becoming a true Ultimate-Class rank. It apparently happened to Serafall three times before while for Sirzechs it was five.

I'm not sure whether I should be more worried about the fact that Cthulhu rituals actually exist in this universe or that it apparently happens often enough that people apparently keep stumbling all over it when their looking for a bathroom.

"Ok, I could see why you'd be worried about that. But I still don't understand why you're allowing a Fallen to roam unopposed right in the middle of your territory."

Instead of answering, Akeno picked up a folder from underneath the table. She opened it and began flipping through the pages before finding the one she wanted. She took out a single sheet of paper and placed it on the table before sliding it over to me.

"Hyoudou Issei," Rias began to speak as I looked over the paper before me. It contained the basic information and a picture of the boy in question. "a sixteen year old boy who's currently enrolled Kuoh Academy. A mediocre student at best, who only just barely made the cut-off point for the entrance exam last year and that was only due to the Academy lowering its standards for male students in an effort to bolster its male population after having recently turned co-ed from an all-girls school.

"While athletically he's average for a student who's not a member of a sports club, without any history of seriously injury or illness. Despite his lack of ability he is renowned across Kuoh Academy as a member of the Perverted Trio, a group of boys who continually attempt to peek on the female population of the school whenever they can."

"Perverts." A voice to my left interjected. I turned to find Koneko sitting on a sofa that she was sharing with Kiba. There was a plate of Yokan, a traditional type of Japanese sweet, before her. Having said her part, she now turned back towards her interrupted meal.

"Now, now, Koneko, you make it sound like that's a bad thing." Akeno covered the smile that was beginning to form behind her hand, "I'll have you know that being a little Perverted can be a good thing. Especially when there is someone there to…discipline you."

Koneko just stared at her for five full seconds saying nothing before deadpanning. "Pervert." Which just caused Akeno to laugh.

"Other than that Issei should have been nothing more than an ordinary if troublesome student." Rias continued after Akeno stopped her laughter. "That was at least until sometime last year, when we were able to discover he had a Sacred Gear. Honestly it was pure luck that we found out about it, the boy's magical presence was so small that he was almost invisible. It was only because Akeno happened to bumped into him when he was being chased by the Kendo club that she was able to notice it."

"While that was enough to catch my interest, I wasn't willing to risk an Evil Piece over him until I had identified what kind of Sacred Gear he possessed. With the abysmal amount of Mana he had in him, it would have had to be a powerful Sacred Gear to make him a worthwhile investment. But unfortunately the very same lack of magical presence that caused us not to notice his him for so long was preventing us from properly identifying the Sacred Gear.

"Honestly, it ended up becoming so troublesome that we decided to simply sit on the matter and hoped the Issei's natural Magical supply would develop in time as he continued to grow and physically mature."

"And that ended up blowing up in our faces" Akeno added.

Rias just nodded in agreement while massaging her forehead, "That boy has the most abysmal magic reserves I have ever heard of. I have seen new born toddler with more magic than him, human toddlers. Even after almost a full year of waiting the amount of Mana within him didn't seem to increase at all, or at least not enough for either me or Akeno to notice. The only upside is that at least I now know not to turn him into a bishop."

"So what changed?" I questioned. "If you still failed to identify his Sacred Gears then why has he suddenly become important?"

"His scent," Rias said with a victorious smile, "While we couldn't identify his Sacred Gear through magic, we got lucky again and discovered that he's Sacred Gear was producing a distinctly unique scent."

"It was all thank to Koneko here." Kiba speaking for the first time since we entered the club room. "After she enrolled as a freshman, she began to notice the scent of a supernatural creature on school grounds that didn't belong to any of the Devils here or their familiars. She traced the scent and found that it leads to Issei."

"What kind of scent are we talking about?" I asked, wondering what the big deal is.

"A Dragon," Rias answer and though she tried to hide it, there was a tone of reverence and wonder in her voice, "Hyoudou Issei has the scent of a Dragon."

Oh! Well, that changes everything.

In my world, Dragons were the pinnacle of all Phantasm Species, the strongest among the strong. Even the weakest of known Dragons had the power to potentially destroy countries. They were literal extensions of the world that was given intelligence and physical form.

They were capable of generating Prana simply by breathing, allowing them to wield an almost unmatched amount of magical energy. I was once told that Saber had some Dragon blood within her and it allowed her to generate so much Prana, that if you compare a Magus's body to a machine that could create magical energy, then her body would be a factory that could magical energy. That was how much of a difference introducing Dragon blood to a human can make.

In this world, I had discovered, Dragons were pretty much the same. Except where in my world the strongest Dragon could bring ruin to the entire world at most, the Dragons here are capable of ruling entire dimensions.

There is a reason why the two most powerful beings in this universe are Dragons. Hyoudou Issei having a Dragon based Sacred Gear had just skyrocketed his importance from 'normal human' to 'potentially dangerous' in the eyes of the world .

"That's not even the best part." Rias Gremory seemed to almost vibrate with excitement. "There is only two known Dragon-based Sacred Gears that are powerful enough to give off such a scent when still in their dormant state."

"The Two Heavenly Dragons." I answered for which she nodded in agreement. "And this generation's White Dragon Emperor has been found and recruited by the Fallen Angel Faction, which means that Issei has-"

"Ddraig, the Red Dragon Emperor." She finished the sentence for me. "That's right, Hyoudou Issei, is this generation's Red Dragon Emperor and the wielder of the Boosted Gear."

"I see." At least now it's making a bit more sense why she went through the trouble of protecting Issei from being expelled. He had a Longinus within him after all. Still, "As interesting as this all is, what does it have anything to do with the Fallen? And considering your enthusiasm to the idea, why haven't you attempted to recruit Issei yet?"

"The answers to both of those questions are actually closely linked." Resting her elbows on her knees, Rias leaned forward while steepling her hands. "Have you ever heard of the Valantime incident?

I shut my eyes as I finally had an idea of what she was trying to imply, and I had a feeling that I really won't like where this was going, "I see."

Valantime was the name of a city in the underworld. It was once a fairly prosperous place despite being one of the smaller cities in the region. It owed its good fortune to being one of the only places that can bridge the underworld to the human world. It had a population of a little under one million but it was expected to surpass that number soon as new people continued to move into the city. It had earned the nicknamed 'The Desert Flower' for it was a city that bloomed in the harsh dry region it called home.

But that over ninety years ago. Today Valantime is completely different place.

Today, that city is a waste land.

Exactly 92 years ago, the City of Valantime was brought to ruin by the rampaging the wielder of the Sacred Gear Divine Dividing, The White Dragon Emperor. The exact details leading up to the incident was never discovered, however what is known is that a Devil, the sole living member of the Gamigin, was able to discover and recruit a human that was the wielder of the Divine Dividing into his Peerage.

Not much was known about the human in question, or at least nothing of any real importance. But what was known was that after being reincarnated he was identified as bearing the Sin of Pride. This came as a surprise to no one. After all, Dragons have always been the most prideful of beings.

The details were lost, but it appeared that an argument broke out between Gamigin and the wielder of the Divine Dividing. When Gamigin lost his patience and tried to force the wielder to submit using his status as his master as leverage, well that was when everything began to go to hell.

A Dragon's Pride will never allow them to willingly bend their knee to anyone, not even other Dragons. That was something Gamigin soon discovered when the wielder attacked him. The fight soon began to grow as the rest of the Peerage jumped and tried to pull the wielder of their master. In response, the wielder activated his Balance Breaker and soon what began as a small fight between Peerage members escalated to an almost city-wide fight as more and more Devils were brought him in order to subdue him.

It reached the point where one of the Maous was summoned to stop him, and that was when the real disaster struck. The wielder already beginning to feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of enemies, panicked when he caught sight of the approaching Maou. Feeling trapped and cornered he became desperate and did what was perhaps the most stupidest thing he possibly could have.

He activated the Juggernaut Drive.

And that was that. His rampaged could no longer be stopped, not even by the Maou. Not without destroying everything else in the area along with him. All they could do evacuate as many people as they could from the city. For two full hours the White Dragon Emperor raged and in his rage he brought calamity onto the city. For two full hours all in the vicinity could hear his madden howls of hatred and anguish. When at last he stopped, the wielder was found dead in the middle of what once was a city, the force of his power draining him of his life.

It took weeks before they were able to accurately tally the total losses of the disaster. They found that over the course of a single night over two-hundred thousand Devils were killed, the equivalent of billions of dollars worth of property was lost, the bridge between the Human and underworld was irreparably damaged, and the last surviving member of the Gamigin Clan, one of the 72 Pillars had perished.

Not since the fight between the Two Heavenly Dragons during the Great War had the Devils suffused such a loss by single being. The Devils had forgotten the might of the Dragons. They had forgotten why they should be feared.

Albion reminded them.

The Underworld learned to fear the wrath of a Dragon that day.

"I have a really bad feeling I'm really not going to like where this is going." I muttered.

"I'm sure that you are aware that Dragon based Sacred Gears Wielder are notoriously hard to recruit and even harder to control." Rias, having either not heard my words or simply deciding to ignore them, continued, "What makes them more dangerous than any other type of Sacred Gear Wielders is the amount of damage they can do when they lose control of themselves. This is especially true when concerning the Two Heavenly Dragons, as Albion had shown us. So before I can even consider recruiting him, I need a way to insure his loyalty."

"Fortunately, unlike the case with the Divine Dividing wielder, Issei's Sin will clearly be Lust. This will not only make him far easier to manage but make him far more recipient to becoming a Devil considering our lifestyle." Here Rias paused a moment, taking a moment to collect herself before forging on, "However that will not be enough to secure his loyalty. We cannot allow another incident like Valantime to happen again. I cannot allow such a thing to happen under my watch. I needed another reason for him to become willingly loyal to me.

"For a while I was stumped, I couldn't thing of a single solution to the problem other than catering to his Lust, and that simply wasn't going to be enough. But then," She reached over to the folder that Akeno had placed on the table, pulled out a photo and slid it over to me, "the answer fell right into my lap."

In front of me was a picture of a young Japanese girl. She had long silky black hair with an innocent almost childlike face and dark violet eyes.

"Her name, or at least the name she's currently calling herself by, is Amano Yuma. Her real name is unknown to us but what we do know is that she is the Fallen Angel we sensed on campus and is currently posing as an ordinary school girl. Normally we would have eliminated her by now but when we began to track her we were able to discover the purpose of her appearance here."

I'm starting to connect the dots and I didn't like the picture that was beginning to appear. "Let me guess, she was here for Issei right?"

Rias gave me a firm nod at that, "At first we feared that she was here to try to recruit him into the Fallen Angel Faction like they did with Vali. However it quickly became clear that wasn't the case. Issei's current human body would have made him too weak for him to be of any real use, Boosted Gear or no Boosted Gear. There was also the matter of Albion and Ddraig being sworn enemies and same side or not they'll try to rip each other apart the moment they set eyes on one another.

"But the thing that finally convinced us of her intentions was Koneko. When she was tracking her she was able to sense Yuma's emotions."

Koneko didn't even bother to look up from her half-finished plate of sweets as she spoke, "Blood lust."

"So we have finally come to the conclusion that she's here to prevent us from recruiting him ourselves. That she went as far as to pose as his girlfriend just makes her goal more obvious. We discovered that she plans on taking him on a 'date' this evening all the way on the other side of town, a place that's as far as you can get from the heart of Devil territory while still remaining in the city limits. We think she chose that spot because it bears the least likely chance of Devils interfering."

"So do you plan to do?" Despite my question, a part of me was dreading that I already knew the answer. "Are you going to approach Issei now or interfere with the date itself?"

"'…No," Rias leaned back in her seat with her eyes shut for a moment and took a deep breath. The she opened her eye, which were now hard with resolve, and stared back at me unflinchingly as she spoke,

We're going to let her kill him

I felt my heart go cold at her words.

For a moment I was sure that I mishear her, that there was no way that they were going to just sit back and watch a boy die. But all I had to look at her cold determined eyes, the same eyes that her brother wore when we fought, and I understood that this was no joke, no mistake.

Comprehension hit me with all the subtlety of a speeding truck and I realized that they were serious, that these bunch of high school students were gonna let the boy get killed in front of their eyes.

For his credit at least, Kiba looked clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. Koneko wore no expression at all on her face but the way she studiously ignored everything around her as she stared blankly ahead was as clear a sign of her feelings as anything. Akeno however just wore that same small smile of hers, the one she had the entire I was here so I had absolutely no idea what she was thinking.

The Gremory however just looked determined.

"I can't let you do that."

I didn't even realize I was speaking until I had finished, but I didn't regret what I said.

"You don't have a choice," Rias countered coolly, "I know for a fact that you were ordered by your King not to interfere. And I already requested approval of the plan from brother, which he gave along with the blessings of the Elder Council. No one is willing to invite another Heavenly Dragon into Devil Society again without taking every precaution, not after Valantime.

"So you see Emiya Shirou, there is quite frankly nothing you can do about it."

I said nothing, unwilling to move or say a thing. Not trusting myself not to lash out, with either words or swords I did not know.

When, after a long long while, I had finally begun to gain some resemblance of control over myself I asked, "Why?" although the word came out garbled from how I had to choke it out of my constructed throat.

Fortunately I didn't need to repeat myself as the Gremory seemed to have understood what I was trying to say.

"Because it needed to be done," The Gremory leaned back on her seat but she never removed her eyes from mine, "this isn't some ordinary human Emiya, this a Longinus wielder, people born with the potential to kill gods inside them. The last time the Underworld had one, he brought ruin and desolation to an entire city, ending thousands of lives in the blink of an eye. If the cost of preventing something like that happening again is a single human life, then it's a price I'm more than willing to pay."

"Besides," this time she leaned forward, "I think you're misunderstanding something. It's not like I'm going to let him stay dead, I do plan on resurrecting him. Not to mention that I will have nothing to with his death. I have no intention of lifting so much as a finger to harm even a hair on his head, let alone try to kill him."

"You may not be the one to do the deed but you're not planning on doing anything to stop it either. I thought you Gremorys are supposed to treat you Peerage like family and yet this is what you intend to do to Issei? Someone who you plan on making a part of your Peerage?"

For the first time in this conversation the Gremory's eye turned cold, not determined or hard but truly cold. "For my Peerage I'll do anything. Give anything. My life, my happiness and even my everything is not too high a price to pay for their safety or happiness."

There was a brand of madness unique to Devils, a type of insanity born from their Sin. It rules them in a way human minds simply cannot comprehend. And the Gremory's cold eyes now shone with that very madness, of the intensity of her Greed for her Peerage possessing her soul.

When she said her everything, she was not lying.

"Issei however is not a member of my Peerage, not yet. He will be but until then he's just an ordinary human to me, no different than any other stranger in this city."

For a long while after that, silence ruled the room, as no one had anything else to say.

I simply sat back in my chair and watched her. Just watched her as I tried to understand the person before. It didn't take me long to put the pieces together and start figuring her out.

The sad thing is, despite all the things she's about to do, she not evil. No, not evil, just selfish. Which might just be something even worse.

She said that she was willing to pay the price of one human life if it meant preventing another Valantime. What she didn't realize was that she wasn't the one paying the price. It was other people. It was Issei who will die, his parents who will mourn him, and his friends that will miss him who will pay it, but from her point of view she was taking on the real burden of being forced to choose.

The scary thing is she doesn't see anything she's doing as wrong. In that sense, she's no different than her brother.

Bloody Gremorys, they're all the same.

No. No that was unfair of me. This isn't a Gremory problem but a Pure-blooded Devil problem. They see themselves so above humans that they find nothing wrong with playing with their lives. You just needed to look at how many of them mistreated the Resurrected Devils to see that. They believe that their power makes them superior to all others. What they don't realize is that their very power was given to them by mere chance, that they have done nothing to earn it or the apparent 'superiority' that comes with it.

Power earned is better than power given. For all of my issues with Sirzechs, and I have a lot of issues, I at least acknowledge that he at least lives by that rule. Even if he was never born with the Power of Destruction I had no doubt that he would have still grown to become powerful, even Maou-Class powerful.

His sister on the other hand doesn't live by that rule. Everything she had was handed to her. Her power of Destruction, her rank of Heiress and even the privilege of starting a Peerage, everything was given to her. Yet she's so proud, so confident as if she had earned all those thing she owns, instead of it all having been given to her on a silver platter.

Yet she believes that she, a not quite 18-year-old girl, has the right to decide the fate of other human beings, to decide if they should live or die.

Typical Pure-Blooded Devil, so full of it.

Still, all of my complaining won't do anything to solve the issue. I can whine all I want later when I have the time. For now, I got to think of a way to fix this mess.

Yet, there has been one thing bothering about the entire issue.

Issei having a Dragon based Sacred Gear. No, I have trouble believing it. Issei doesn't act like a Dragon, not even the slightest. A Dragon's Pride would never allow him to stoop to peeping or even allow him to run away from human girls when they inevitably caught him peeping.

This…this doesn't make sense. What if they were wrong, what if he doesn't have a Sacred Gear? Will she just let him die?

"Promise me," I stated, finally breaking the silence, "promise me that no matter what happens you'll resurrect him. Even if you find out that he doesn't bear the Boosted Gear you'll still make him a part of Peerage. If you do, then I'll give you my word that I'll not involve myself with this entire mess."

The Gremory didn't even hesitate, I'll give her that much. "I, Rias Gremory, the Heir of the Gremory Clan, one of the 72 Pillars, here by swear that I will resurrect Hyoudou Issei into my Peerage, no matter what he's Sacred Gear may or may not be."

…What is it with these Clan heirs and their formality? First Sona and now her. Couldn't they just say a simple 'I promise' and be done with it.

Still, I could feel the tension leaving my body at her words. I may not like how they're going to go about this, but this was the best I could hope for.

If Issei wasn't going to be revived I would interfere nor matter what, orders or no orders. But considering that he was already being targeted by the Fallen Faction, he would need to join a Peerage for his protection if nothing else.

As much as I hate to admit it, no one watches over their Peerage like the Gremory. Not to mention that I can longer act without thinking anymore. I'm a member of a Maou's Peerage and whether I like it or not, everything I do will be have repercussions.

It's not just my life at stake if I screw up. There is no way I wanted to get Serafall in trouble because of me.

Still, I had my fill of this lot for the day. I just wanted to get out of here and go home.

"Well, if that's all you wanted to talk to me about Rias Gremory," I said as I began to stand up, an action that was soon copied by the Gremory, Akeno, and surprisingly Kiba. Koneko was already back to eating another plate of snacks she had gotten from somewhere, "I believe it's time for me to get home."

They all walked me to the door, Kiba actually reaching the door before me and held it open.

I turned around and gave the occupants of the room one short wave. "Well, as much as I'd like to say I had a lovely evening meeting you all but I'm afraid I'd be lying. So instead I'll wish you all a good day. Kiba, Koneko, Akeno, Gremory." After giving each of them a quick nod as I said their name, I turned and left the room.

From behind me, I heard Kiba say, "Ah, Buchou. I'm gonna help Emiya-san get back to the school entrance." Followed by the sound of a door shutting behind me, then footsteps as Kiba quickly caught up to me.

The door shut behind the departing boys, leaving the Club room occupied only by the girls of the Peerage.

* * *

For a moment no one said anything, and then a light chuckle made its way from the Raven haired girl.

"Ufufufu, Looks like your plan to fluster him failed, eh Buchou. Or should I say 'little pervert'."

"Shut up, Akeno." Muttered Rias, her face turning red at the memory.

"And what did he call them again? Ah, that's right. I believed it was 'watermelon stuffed bras'."

"I said, shut up Akeno." Rias repeated a little loud while her face grew a little redder. She looked down towards her chest and mutter to herself. "They're real damn it."

"Ara Ara Buchou, are you still angry on what he did to your brother?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." She retorted while crossing her arms and looking away. "My brother kicked his ass."

"He also ended up looking like a porcupine didn't he?" Akeno replied while cupping her cheek and smiling as she happily imagined the look of agony on Sirzechs's face.

Rias puffed out her checks at that, "Nii-chan is the strongest." Barely restraining herself from stomping her foot.

Rias held that pose for a moment, arms crossed and checks puffed out like a child, before she physically deflated and appeared to almost slump over. She looked suddenly looked exhausted.

"Hey Akeno," her voice was so low that it was barely heard even in the silent room, "I'm…I'm not the bad one here, am I? I mean, I'm doing the right thing…right?"

Akeno, seeing her friend in such a state, dropped her smile as she answered. "Well, I'm not sure if I could call what you're doing the right thing but at the very least I don't think you're doing the wrong thing." Then an idea popped into her head as a wicked smile graced her face. "However, if you're still feeling bad about yourself I can always, ah, punish you. I know it can make really bad and naughty girls feel good again. I got a paddle and everything."

"AKENO!" her blush this time was simply atomic.

From the corner of the room where she was sitting at, Koneko looked up at them with a disapproving frown on her face before deadpanning, "…Perverts." and returning back to her meal.

* * *

Despite walking side by side, not a single word passed between the two as the made their way outside of the old school building and began walking towards the forest.

"…Emiya-san." Kiba finally said after they were almost halfway through the forest, "I wanted you to know that despite how it might have appeared today Buchou is not in any way a bad person. It's just she'd been in a tough position lately, what with the discovery of the Boosted Gears and the possibility of it either rampaging or the Fallen Angels nabbing it from under our noses. Not to mention the how desperate she is trying to find a way out of her marriage with Riser. Look, what I'm trying to say is that she really didn't have a choice in th-"

"Kiba," He was interrupted before he could finish his sentence. Shirou stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. He's golden coloured eyes locked onto his metallic grey ones as he spoke. "Some of the most hideous and deplorable acts that were committed by humanity was not out of malice or cruelty, but rather it was done by simple ordinary people who did what they did because 'they had no choice'."

He turned and began walking again but not before tossing one last line over his shoulder, "That doesn't make it any less wrong."

Kiba had nothing he could say to that.

* * *

After a long, long day I finally found my way back home.

I slowly made my way up the walkway to the front door of my new home. It was a mid-sized family house, with four bed-rooms and a backyard. It was honestly too big for me alone, but Serafall insisted and managed to convince me that it would be much better to have too much room than too little.

Plus it had a basement underneath for me to train in. I would have preferred a dojo or a large garden like I had in my old home, but places like that are rare to find anywhere and almost impossible in a small city like this. I doubt that it would have done anything from stopping Serafall from just building a new house from scratch for me but fortunately I had moved here in short notice and this was the best that she could do.

I unlocked my door and made my way in, tossing my schoolbag in the rack placed by the side of the door for that very purpose. After taking my shoes off, I made my way to the kitchen to start preparing for dinner.

"Yahoo~~~, Shirou. Welcome back~~~!" a cheerful if slightly slurred voice called out to me.

But apparently someone beat me here to it. There seated in my kitchen was a young girl.

She was in her mid-teens with forest green eyes and beautiful long blond hair that reached past the middle of her back. She had pale skin with a beautiful almost aristocratic face. Dressed in long blue denim with a simple white T-shirt with the caption 'God is Dead – Nietzsche was right after all' printed on it.

She was sitting on one of the wooden chairs surrounding the dining table that was located right in the center of the kitchen and was slumped over its surface with a goofy smile on her face. Her usually sharp and observant eyes were glazed over as she tried and failed to focus them on me. The empty wine bottle that was slowly rolling back and forth across the table gave me a hint why.

"Asia, is that the wine bottle I had hidden for guests?" I asked.

She shifts her head from where it laid planted on the table to look at the empty bottle. "Why yes," her eyes widening in surprise as she slurred her words slightly, "yes it is. How did that get there?"

"I believe you put it there, and unless I'm mistaken, you've been drinking from it." I could feel a headache beginning to from right between my eyebrows.

"Yes, yes I have." She lifted her head off the table and started to nod. "And it was wonderful~!" She threw her hand wide and began to lean back on her chair.

"No wonder the old fogeys at the church didn't want me to drink any. This stuff is awesome! The bastards probably just wanted to keep it all for themselves." She continued to lean backwards until she was balancing the chair on its two back legs.

No, I actually think they were just terrified of what a drunken Asia would look like. Like I was quickly learning to be.

Snatching up the empty wine bottle she held it up to the sky like she was about to offer a toast. "Truly wine is a gift from the all mighty. For good drinks and those who prepared it, for good friends with whom to share it," here she pointed the wine bottle at me before raising it to the sky again, "we thank you, Lord. Amen-OUCH!"

Clutching her head at the sharp sudden pain she was no doubt feeling, she ended up losing her balance and her entire chair began to fall backwards, sending her tumbling onto the floor.

For a few seconds, there was nothing but awkward silence in the kitchen, until a voice made its way from the other side of the table, "Owie~ that hurts~." A hand emerged from behind the table, holding onto its surface as its owner used it to push herself back up.

"Asia, you're a Devil now. You can't praise god anymore."

"What!? Really? You mean I can't even pay him a complement? Well then, screw you too God. I was just trying to praise you oh Holy Father – Ouch! Son of a bitch will you stop that! You won't believe how much that hurt, Jesus Christ – OUCH!"

…It was like watching a car crash. No matter how much you wanted to look away you just couldn't.

"What!" she wailed towards the sky, "It's bad enough that I can't pray to you anymore, but now you're telling me I can't even cuss? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph that's harsh – SON OF A BITCH THAT STINGS!"

Releasing her grip on her head after her latest bout of headache, Asia then began to glare towards the heavens before proceeding to flip God off. Or at least she tried to anyway.

"No, Asia you're supposed to use the middle finger, not the ring finger." I corrected her, "Yup, that's much better."

Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to introduce my Bishop. Asia Argento, the former Holy Maiden turned Witch turned Devil…and now apparently turned alcoholic.

Yup, that was definitely a headache starting form.

* * *

_**Play OST Fate Stay Night – Kishi Ou no Hokori**_

_It's funny how life goes sometimes._

I walked through the moonlit town. Walking up the road, I noticed there weren't any other people around. It was only seven-thirty. There should have been some people around at this time, but there was no sign of anyone.

_You can go looking and looking for something and never find it._

"...Oh yeah." I muttered. There was some kind of crime committed here in Miyama City a few days ago. A burglar murdered someone, I think. It got everybody spooked. That must be why there's no one around, and it was probably why the school curfew was lowered till six.

"…Gas leaks and murder, huh? It's been getting dangerous lately."

No wonder there are fewer people walking around at night.

_But when finally you stop looking,_

"…Huh?"

_it ends up appearing right in front of you._

For a moment, I couldn't believe my eyes. There is someone on the road which I was sure was empty. The person is standing above me as if looking down on me. It was a young girl with snow white hair that shimmered like silver in the moonlight and eyes that shone ruby red.

Without realizing it, I held my breath. _I knew that girl_. The silver-haired girl smiles and descends the hill without a sound.

As she passes…

"You'll die if you don't summon-"

"-Ilya?" I interpreted before she finished talking, not caring how the grocery bag slipped out of my slackness hands and spilled onto the sidewalk.

"…huh?" She answered, surprised.

_I remember when Kiritsugu told me I had a sister._

I turned and walked towards her, hesitantly covering the space between us in two strides, not even noticing how the world around blurred as tears began to gather in my eyes.

_When I asked where she was, he told me he lost her. So I went looking…_

_I searched and searched, but I couldn't find her._

"…Ilya, Your Ilya right?" I asked again, hesitantly as my voice wavered and cracked. I kneeled before her, lowering myself to eye level. "Illyasviel von Einzbern, right? I-Is that you?" I didn't realize that I had tentatively placed my hands on my shoulder until I felt the material of her jacket in my hand.

_Even though I really, really wanted to meet her. Even though I really wanted to talk to her, I couldn't find her. No matter how long or hard I tired._

"..y-yes?" She replied, seemingly utterly perplexed by my actions. At her reply, I felt my sight blur from unshed tears.

_But now, here you are standing right before me_

"Ha-ha…I found you" I felt tears that were barely held in check begin to spill down my face. "finally …I… I FINALLY FOUND YOU!"

_You're here, you were really here!_

"W-Whaa!" she squealed out in surprised as I wrapped my arms around her, stood up and swung her around.

"I found you! Ilya I finally, finally found you!" I exclaimed as I continued to twirl you around in circles, laughing like a madman.

_I wanted to meet you for the longest time_

"W-What?" she asked with a completely bewildered expression, looking more confused than anything. "What's going on?"

_But I didn't care, as I continued to laugh out my joy to the world._

_Now at last, at long last, I can final say:_

_Hi, I'm your brother._

_Nice to finally meet you._

* * *

_**Character Stats:**_

Name: Toujou Koneko

Class: Rook

Master: Rias Gremory

Official Rank: Low-Class Devil

Race: Devil / Nekomata (Nekoshou)

Strength: D

Endurance: D+

Agility: E+

Mana: E

Luck: D-

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: Senjustu (Sealed), Youjutsu (untrained)

Racial skill:

-**Devil skill:**

As a Reincarnated Devil, all basic abilities of a Devil are availed to her.

-**Nekomata (Nekoshou) skills:**

Chakra: **N/A**

For her own personal reasons, Koneko has chosen to abandon her abilities to wield Chakra and has sealed them away.

Youjutsu: **N/A**

Literally meaning "Demon Arts", Youjutsu is the brand of magic only accessible to Youkai. It primarily consists of casting and using illusion. Unlike Devil magic, Youjutsu is not an instinctive form of magic and requires years of training to learn cast. Koneko has received no training in Youjutsu and is unable to wield it.

Enhanced Senses: **D**

As a Nekomata, Koneko is gifted with a heighted sense of smell and hearing. Her reflexes are so good that she is often able to notice and react to small tells from her opponent, something she would not have been able to do if she was born with normal Devil reflexes.

She is also born with an excellent sense of balance. Do not be surprised to find her always landing on her feet.

Cat form: **B**

All Nekomata have two forms, their human forms and their cat forms. This is an instinctive ability and requires very little practice to learn. When in cat form, Koneko is all for all intents and purposes a cat. She would be unable to use any of her magic or abilities and appearance wise she would not be any different that any ordinary cat.

However Nekomata are physically stronger than an average cat when in their cat form and Koneko, as a Rook, will be even stronger. Koneko dislikes using this ability in public as it requires her to abandon her cloths when transforming since she cannot take it with her as a cat.

While not truly considered a form, it is possible to combine the two primary forms to make a third one. While it has no official name, it is widely known as 'Cat-girl'. In this form Koneko will have a pair of cat ear and tails.

She almost never reveals this form as it really popular among perverts and would only be willing to show it some he trusts.

Personal Skills:

Hand-to-Hand combat skills: **C**

In place of Chakra, Koneko has instead focused in her physical skills. Throwing herself in her martial arts training with a passion that bordered on obsession, Koneko was able to master the art of unarmed combat to an almost unprecedented level. What would take most Devils, even rooks, decades to master, she has done in less than six year.

While praised as a genius by some, that was far from the case. During her years as a Rook of Gremory she was offered more freedom and privileges than most Peerage members, which she took full advantage of.

Using the Gremory resources, she secured herself lessons with the some of the best combat trainers availed in the underworld. What was remarkable however is not the quality of the training she had availed, but the insane amount of effort she would put into it.

She would join training sessions with students twice her age, and will continue to train herself hours after the sessions would end, even if she must do so alone. There have been many cases where she trained until she collapses from pure exhaustion, only to get back up the next day to repeat the process. It reached the point where her trainers had to drag her off the training field to prevent her from damaging her body.

While not a natural geniuses, Koneko's relentless hard work has caused her skills to advance at a remarkable speed. Combined with her unique sense of balance gifted to her by her race, she was able to become a master in hand-to-hand combat before the age of 15.

As a C rank, Koneko is considered an expert in her field of martial arts, and more than qualified to train advance students.

One with Nature:** E**

As a Nekoshou, Koneko is highly in-tuned with Nature.

This abilities mostly stems from her ability to wield Chakra, as Chakra is the life force of the world around us, thus as long as her Chakra remains sealed she would be unable to use this skill to her full ability.

At its current Rank of E Koneko is able sense strong emotion from people in her immediate vicinity.

Poker Face: **D-**

The skill of hiding one's emotion.

Koneko is very gifted in hiding her feelings, to the point where no can understand what she's truly thinking unless they were either extremely close to her or talented at understanding people.

While in most cases this would be a positive skill to have, in this case it can almost be considered a curse. This is because Koneko rarely ever takes her poker face off, leaving most people around her with a false understanding of who she really is or what she is feeling

However it does have two weaknesses. The first is food, as Koneko is unable to mask her love for good tasting food (sweets in particular). The other is Perverts. Rather than be called a weakness, it would be more accurate to say that her hatred for perverts has simply made her unwilling to hide her hatred for them.

Cuteness: **C**

Also known as Moe… enough said.

Koneko's cuteness has reached the level where she can receives gifts and treats from total strangers, both male and female. Against an enemy that is a Lolicon, it causes them to become unwilling to harm her in anyway.

Gluttony:** B**

Koneko's person Sin…though she would call it her pleasure.

Koneko love for food can rival the Pervert Trio's love for porn. She loves all kinds of food, though she loves Japanese sweats best of all. Despite here size Koneko is capable of eating an obscene about of food that will often leave onlookers stunted and wonder where did all of the food go.

Seriously where does all the food go? Even the System that governs the world is unable to answer this question.

Name: Emiya Shirou

Class: Queen

Master: Serafall Leviathan

Official Rank: Ultimate-Class Devil

Race: Devil / Human (Not of this Dimension)

Strength: C-

Endurance: C-

Agility: C

Mana: C++

Luck: E- to A++

Sacred Gear/ Ability/ Weapon:

Unlimited Bladeworks (and all abilities that originate from it)** EX**

Racial skill:

**-Devil skill:**

As a Reincarnated Devil, all basic abilities of a Devil are availed to him. However due to him being only recently reincarnate, he has not had the time to advance on any of these skills and would be considered a beginner when compared to a typical Devil his age.

**-Human from another world:**

Born from a different universe, with a different system of magic exist. Shirou, having been born with circuits which he still retains as a devil, I able to a brand of magic no human in this universe can.

Shirou was found to have 27 working circuits of above average quality when examined by his adopted father, Kiritsugu. While considered to be a decent amount of circuits for someone from a family of magus, for a person from a completely ordinary family it would be considered to be an extraordinary high amount. It is for reason

This magic is known a Magecraft. While no other human than him is capable of using it, it may be possible for his children to inherit this ability. If that has been proven to be so, then Shirou will have the right to form a Clan of his own.

Because Shirou is the first ever human of his kind to ever be reincarnated no one know what effects it will have on his magic.

There are many mysteries that have yet to be uncovered concerning this skill.

**Personal Skills:**

Orthodox Magecraft:** D**-

Despite being a Magus, Shirou is considered a failure when measured by the standards of a typical Magi and would have been considered 3rd rate one at best. However that is only true because he had abandoned the path of the magus and chosen to pursue the road of a spell caster.

Still, no matter how hard he tried, Shirou would never been able to pass the rank of an Apprentice Magus. He's specialized form of magic would have prevented him for casting anything higher than D rank spells no matter how hard he tried. Even D ranks spell, ones that an average Magus can learn in days, will take Shirou years of practice to cast. The only spells Shirou can cast with reasonable proficiency outside of his specialty are E Rank spells.

However this has done nothing to hamper is ability to learn and understand the theoretical side of magic. While no genius, Shirou has always been a diligent and hardworking student.

Over the years he had several people from Emiya Kiritsugu to Illyasviel and even Rin, teach him some form of knowledge of Magecraft. Thanks to them Shirou has a solid understand of the common practices of Magecraft and how they function, such as the creation of Bounded Fields and Familiars, despite being unable to cast most of them himself.

Due to being transported to a new world, Shirou was never able to complete his studies as a Magus and is now unlikely to have ever reached his true potential in this field.

If he was allowed to continue his studies however, Shirou would have the potential to raise his Rank to C-.

Hero's luck:** Ex**

Heroes have always been destiny's plaything. They are thrown into the most extreme and unusually situation time after time, and their luck reflects that.

A hero's luck tends to jump from both extreme ends of good and bad. For example, by pure chance your childhood home may be located in the heart of blazing fire caused by a being of pure evil trying and failing to be reborn into the world, resulting in not only in the deaths of your entire family and everything you know and love but have also caused you to lose all memories. On the other hand you'll be fortunate enough to be found in the last possible second by perhaps the only man in the country that can heal your life threating wound, adopt you, love you as if you were his own son and teach you how to wield magic.

This is the reason why most heroes have tragic pasts.

There are also times when your good and bad fortune would be combined into a single event, for example:

On one hand, you may find yourself running though a forest with nigh unkillable berserker chasing after you, with less than a one in a million chance of coming out of it alive. On the other hand, the one in a million chance of survival requires you to have a sex with a beautiful blond, and since it needs to be done in a certain way another beautiful women, a brunette this time, will have to participate to make sure it's done right.

That's right, you'll face certain death but you'll find the only way to defy your fate is through the power of a threesome.

Shirou's luck is so unpredictable that it cannot be properly quantified in the current system, and such has been given the rank of EX.

Compared to a Devil's luck, he is just as likely to accidently find a damsel in distress or walk into a Cthulhu ritual but will have no luck in pure gambling. On the rare occasion that he actually ends up winning in a casino, it would likely trigger an event that would end up with him fighting for his life soon afterwards.

Shirou's pure-hearted desire to help people has influence how this luck manifests itself. Rather than simply making him go on adventure after adventure like most heroes born with a 'Hero's luck', it will instead cause him to run into people who are in need of assistance, whether from large problems such as saving their child from a kidnapping attempt or small things like a lonely soul who really needs a friend by their side.

Do not be surprised if Shirou runs into an unusually high number people who are emotional 'damaged', as they are the kind of people that Shirou's luck will draw him to.

Magic Resistance **C++**

All beings with abnormally large amount of magic flowing through of them will gain a natural resistance to all foreign magic, whether they be benign or harmful.

At its current rank of C, Shirou's Magic Resistance is sufficient enough to cancel out all E Rank Magic spells cast on him and cuts the effects of D rank magic by half.

However when it comes to swords, Shirou's Magic Resistance becomes more effective. Magical effects from swords that he is not wielding from C rank and bellow is canceled out completely. While the effects of those that are of B rank will be cut in half.

These effects however is only limited to the magical aspects of the sword. Physical damage from cutting or thrusting will remind unchanged.

Will of the Serafall **C-**

This is less a skill and more of a curse.

Serafall, despite her appearance, is perhaps one of the most persuasive Devils to have ever been born. She is highly skilled in understanding what make a person tick and does not hesitant in using that knowledge to help turn people's opinion to match her point of view. Those who spend long periods of time in her presence tend to find their opinions or attitudes change to one more similar to hers. The sever rise in Magic Girl fans in the underworld is attributed to her, as thousands of Devils who have shown no interest in the matter have been turned to fan-boy/girls simply by talking to her.

Do to being continuously exposed to Serafall over the course of the last six months, Shirou has begun to exhibit many of her traits. In particular, he has begun to develop the traits of a prankster.

While it has not reached the point where Shirou will actively try and create pranks, he will no longer be able to resist if an opportunity presents itself.

Sword Skills **C++**

Shirou is an excellent swordsman. Though he has spent less time training on his swords skill than his archery, due to his affinity with swords Shirou was able to reach the rank of an expert swordsman in a remarkable short period of time.

At C rank, Shirou is considered an expert in the field of swordsmanship and is more than qualified to train advance students.

However Shirou's real potential in the field does not lie in his raw talents with the blade, but rather his abilities to mimic the skills of any of the previous wielders of a sword and use it as if it were his own.

When holding a sword that was once wielded by a true master of the blade, his sword skill has the potential of rising to an A rank. Though this ability seems to work best when used on swords he has traced himself.

To a limited extent, this also applies to other bladed weapons but the effects are degraded by up to one or two ranks depending on how different the weapon is from the shape of a sword.

Shirou's fighting ability also takes a remarkable improvement when facing an enemy armed with a sword (or a weapon that can be replicated in his Unlimited Bladeworks). This is due to his ability to read the sword's history.

With a single glance he can understand his opponent's entire fighting style as well as he does his own, as long as his opponent has being wielding the sword he is currently using long enough.

This makes Shirou almost impossible to be beaten by a fellow swordsman unless Shirou is significantly inferior to his opponent.

Extreme Reinforcement **B**

Even in his old world, Shirou has always been a remarkably skilled in Reinforcement. However, after witnessing the large gap in physical abilities between himself and even the weakest of the Servants in the Holy Grail war, he became unsatisfied with his current skills and became determined to improve himself.

Inspired by how Caster was able to reinforce her master, Souichirou Kuzuki a normal if highly skilled human, to the point where he gained far more strength than should have been possible even with magecraft. It reached the point where he was able to physically harm a Saber-Class Servant, a Servant whose defense is only matched by Berserker-Class Servants.

After his encounter with Caster, Shirou threw himself into improving his Reinforcement abilities above anything else after the War. At first he has met with little success as his human body simply could not be reinforced anymore without breaking but ever since his transformation to Devil, his skill in Reinforcement has flourished.

His control over his ability to Reinforcement his body has reached the point where he can bypass the Devils body's natural limits, granting him far more strength and speed than should be possible, without crossing the point where his body would self-destruct.

At B rank, Shirou's Extreme Reinforcement ability would allow him to increase his speed to a Rank of B and his strength to that of C+.

However be warned that Shirou's body cannot withstand the strain for long. There is a reason why the body has a natural limit to Reinforcement and by bypassing it the body will begin to breakdown if used for long periods of time.

Due to the massive amount of strain that the body will be placed under when this skill is in use, Shirou's body will become slightly more vulnerable to physical damage, causing a drop in his Endurance Rank down to D+.

On the up side however, due to the increase amount of magic that is actively flowing in his body when the skill is in use, his Magical Resistance is also slightly improved from C to C+.

Body of swords **B**

An internalization of the Unlimited Bladeworks.

By casting the Unlimited Bladeworks into his body rather than projecting it outwards, Shirou is cable of turning his entire body into swords.

At first Shirou was unaware of this ability and only began to suspect it when noticing how my tougher is body becomes when injured. He only became completely aware of it after seeing blades start sprouting out from a cut and start knitting his wounds together.

When used, Shirou's body will become stronger and tougher than it would be possible otherwise, turning into his body to what is equivalent of a moving fortress. It will cause Shirou's Endurance Stat to increase to rank of B+.

At that rank no physical attack ranked C and lower would be able to harm, causing them to be neglected completely. While physical attacks ranked B will still have some effect they will be greatly reduced requiring several strikes to cause a mortal blow. Shirou's magic Resistance will also increase to the Rank of B.

However this ability comes at a cost. Due to entire body turning to swords his joints will no longer able to function properly, making it hard for him to move and leading to an extreme reduction in speed. Shirou's Rank in Agility will drop to the rank of E making him incredibly slow in comparison to his usual speed.

Be warned that this ability does not come without its share of risks. Not only is using it for long periods of time extremely draining Magic wise, it will also increase the risk of losing control. If that were to happen Shirou will be skewered by his own swords, leading to his death. Currently Shirou can only use 'Body of Sword' for a few minutes at most before is grip on it start to slip.

There is however more to this ability than meets the eye. There are many secrets that have yet to be discovered concerning its use that Shirou has yet to discover.

Beloved of the Sword **A**

Shirou's affinity with swords is so high that to claim that swords love him would not be an exaggeration.

Holy blades, something that would turn a normal Devil to dust with merely a cut, will do no such thing to Shirou. While he will still be cut, he will receive no more damage than if he was an ordinary human. The cause of this effect is believed to be due to the amount of holy swords he has currently stored inside him combine with the existence of Avalon, a Holy artifact, which was fused into his body as a child.

However this only applies with something that is a 'Sword' not shaped like a sword. Angels and Fallen Angels are capable for forming swords of light, however these do not qualify as a sword as they are merely magic shaped into the form of a sword, not an actually sword. Thus Shirou will not fare against them any better than ordinary Devils.

He is also able to wield Holy swords himself, something thought to be impossible for a Devil.

While the ability is still effective on other bladed weapons, the farther it is from the form of a sword the less effective this abilities will work.

Archery **B**

Shirou was a member of the Archery Club during his freshman year in his last year. During the period he was enrolled he had only missed the target once, but even the he said "It will miss" before even firing the shot.

Nothing less than 'Genius' can adequately describe his skill as an archer.

A once a century talent, if Shirou had continued his pursuit in archery he would have most likely ended up as a world champion. Unfortunately Shirou has shown no interest in pursuing archery and, after a disagreement with one of the club members, left the Archery Club during the summer of his freshman year.

Shirou's skill in archer has reached the point that he will never miss any target he aims for. That however does not mean that he will always hit the target, as if the target moves in an unexpected manner before the arrow reaches it he will miss. While Shirou is more than capable of hitting a moving target he currently lacks the ability and experience to accurately anticipate the movement of living target.

However given enough time and training, Shirou has the potential to become one of the greatest archers in recorded history.

Eye of the mind (true) **D+**

Despite his age, Shirou has quite a mind for combat.

After experiencing the horrors of the Holy Grail, where Shirou has watched and participated in battles between Heroic Spirits that ruled over the battlefield of their era, he has adapted to the reality of combat. He now no longer experiences panic or extreme fear during combat and is capable of remaining calm and analytical even in the middle of a warzone, thus allowing him to observe the situation and choose the best course of action for success.

While quite talented, Shirou lacks the pure experience to bring most out of this skill. However given enough time in the battlefield, Shirou will have the potential to eventual raise this skill to a B rank.

At his current level, as long as there is a reasonable chance of a comeback, this skill will greatly increase the odds of winning.

Cooking **C+**

Kiritsugu, Shirou's foster father, had no talent in housework. If left to his own devices he would have take-out or junk food for most of his meals. Having grown up in such an environment, Shirou was forced to learn to cook for himself if he wanted to have a decent meal.

While at first it was a mere chore, Shirou soon began to love cooking and ended up developing quite a talent for it. His forte is Japanese cooking but he is reasonably proficient with all different kinds of food.

At C rank, Shirou is able to cook food with the skill of a professional first-class chief. However when Reinforcement is added into the mix, the quality of Shirou's food reaches the level that borders on the divine.

If Shirou was ever forced to serve the gods as a chief, even they would not find anything lacking in his food.

Origin of 'Spirit' **?**

Not much is currently known about the effects of this origin. The only thing that is certain is that Shirou has become my more emphatic to other people and is also better at understanding them.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ok that's a rap. So what did you think of my new Asia? Asia in my story, unlike with canon, is going to be an intelligent character, she may be Naïve about the world but not how people work so she's not gonna be gullible. Plus her history is different from Canon.

Cliché 3: Whatever side I'm on is good and the rest is evil. If the main character in a story joins the devil side the fallen and angels become bad guys, or if he joins the fallen then same thing happens. In my story just because Shirou is a Devil now doesn't make the devils the good guys.

So about Shirou's new Origin.

After the fire, Shirou was a blank slate, completely wiped clear from his past. That was why Avalon was able to change his origin in the first place because he was an empty shell thus didn't even really have one. But this time, Shirou found value in himself "Is he smiling because of me?" that thought made him think of himself as something valuable, something worth smiling over. He was no longer an empty shell.

Thanks again for reading.

PS the formatting for submitting stories to this site is a pain in the ass.


	5. Chapter 5: Devil's Guidebook 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**

Well, here's the second one.

I know that many readers don't like to read it so let me say that you CAN skip it. It will basically be like not reading the Stats on Servants in fate/stay night or the codex info in Mass Effect. This chapter details how the Evil system works in the AU. I will try to keep guide book chapters much smaller than the plot chapters so they'll be easier to digest.

The Devil's Guide is meant to add to the enjoyment so if you don't like it you can skip it.

PS. For those of you wondering, Shirou's C++ in magic, the '++' is for when he's casting sword related magic.

**Story Start**

* * *

Devil's Guidebook 2

**Evil piece system:**

There is a lot of controversy and mystery regarding how the Evil Piece system works.

This lack of understanding is primarily due to Ajuka Beelzebub, the creator of the Evil Pieces, refusing to divulge any detailed information about how the system works. This was done in an effort to prevent other factions from reverse engineering the Evil Piece system and creating a version of their own.

It was NOT because Ajuka finds people stumbling around in the dark and making utter fools of themselves when trying to figure out how to use his creation amusing. Sirzechs himself came to personally reassure us that this was not the case, and when a Demon lord with the power to wipe out your existence down to the cellular level tells you to trust him, you trust him.

Never fear however, for after years of research mixed in with pure trial and error, the Devil community has finally begun to have a solid understanding on how the Evil Piece system works.

Let us start with the two most misunderstood pieces, the mighty King and the humble Pawn.

**King:**

Most people are under the assumption that Devils who receive a King's Piece are not affected by the Evil Piece in anyway. That however is false. While it is true the King's Piece does not grant any benefits to the Devil in question, it does come with a cost.

When a Devil become a King, they permanently Seal away approximately 20% of their total magic reserves. That is the price that a King needs to pay to make the Evil Piece function. Have you ever wondered where the power to resurrect a dead comes from? Did you truly thing that such a thing is possible without a great cost?

To understand why so much power is needed, you need to be aware of a single fact. That in reality most Resurrected Devils are not actually alive or at least not completely.

It is a well-known fact that Devils need to magic to survive. What is less known however is that Devils need a certain amount of magic in them to live. If at any point the magic in a Devils body drops below that amount they will drop dead. In many ways a Devil's relationship with magic is similar to that of human's with blood.

The problem is that Resurrected Devils are simply incapable of producing enough magic in their bodies to support themselves. This is where the King Piece comes in. A King's true role in a Peerage is to provide to the other member of the Peerage with enough magical energy to function. Putting it bluntly, a King it basically one large battery.

I'm sure many of you have spotted the flaw in this logic. If the King is the source of the Peerage's magic then it the rest of the Peerage should be incapable of producing more than the King. It would be more accurate to say that the all the magic of the Peerage combined should equal only 20% of the Kings magic.

Now I'm sure all of you are aware that this is simply not true. Anyone who watched a single Rating Game can attest that several Bishops and Queens have been able to cast spells with just as much, if not more, magic than their King. If a King truly provide the entire magic for the Peerage, then how is this possible?

The answer is the Evil Piece.

The biggest misconception regarding the Evil Pieces when it was first created was that its sole function is to create Resurrected Devils. After many years of research we have discovered that not only is that not true, but its ability to resurrect is not even is most astonishing function.

The most remarkable things about the Evil Pieces is their ability to amplify magic. While how this is possible is unknown, the Evils Pieces within a Resurrected Devil can greatly amplify the amount of magic they received from their King. To the point that the Resurrected Devil can have more magic than their King.

When tested on an unused Evil Piece it has been found that the Piece was incapable of amplifying magic on its own. It's seems to only work when inside a living Devil. Why does it require a living Devil is unknown. When Ajuka Beelzebub was asked the very same question he declined to answer.

…Although he did snicker at the questioner for some reason. Again, we'd like to remind you that Ajuka does not take amusement at out ignorance, the really nice Maou with the power to wipe out our existence said so.

The discovery of this function has led to a unique cultural change in Devils Clans. Previous all children of the Clan, heirs or not, were awarded with their own Evil Pieces set when they have demonstrated they had the magic capacity and reserves to use them. However when the Clans discovered that the Evil Pieces can amply the magic within their children that changed.

Some of the Clans who were fortunately enough to be blessed with multiple children have stopped bestowing Evil Pieces to their youngest children and instead made them a part of one of their more powerful Clan mate's Peerage. The purpose of this is to use the Evil Pieces to magnify their children's already high magical reserves, causing them to become even more powerful than they would have been otherwise.

Ravel Phoenix is an example of such a case. She was given the place of a Bishop in her brother's Peerage when it was discovered that she was only born with an averaged sized magic reserves. However after she became a Bishop her magical reserves has drastically increased to the point that it now surpasses her brother.

This function is made especially clear when you look at stray Devils. No longer capable of drawing magic from their Kings they need another source of Mana. They often resort to devouring humans to achieve it. During the time when the Old Devil Faction ruled the underworld, it was a common practice to eat humans as a way to quickly replenish their magic supply, as even the weakest of human have some Mana within them.

This is why Resurrected Devils often remain in their King's Peerage even after they form a Peerage of their own. While it's true that most Resurrected Devils that become strong enough to get their own Peerage are often capable of sustaining themselves without the Evil Piece within them, most are simply unwilling to give up the large boost in power the Evil Piece grants them.

There are extremely rare cases however of human with such massive magic reserves that they can sustain themselves immediately after their Resurrection. However there has only been one recorded case of this happening so it unknown whether this is truly possible or just a single freak occurrence. The one human happened to be Rudiger Rosenkreutz, the Ultimate-Class Devil who is currently Ranked 7th in the Rating Games.

Children born to Resurrected Devils do not need anyone to provide them with power as they are born with enough magic to sustain themselves.

The 20% cost in power is the reason why many older generation of Devils do not have their own Peerage. They are unwilling to part with the power when they can simply hire Devils to serve them instead.

A key factor of why stronger Devils have stronger Peerages is because the amount of magic they can supply their Peerages is much higher than a weaker Devils.

**Pawn:**

The most confusing aspect of the Pawn piece is its unique ability to promote itself to any other piece. The question that is most commonly asked is why does the Promotion ability only function in enemy territory?

The fact of the matter is that Promotion can function anywhere, it's just that without the King's explicit permission, the Pawn Piece was programmed not to.

The purpose of this limit is to protect both the King and the Pawn. Those of you that have been reading this guide from the beginning should be aware that there is a limit to the amount of magic a Devil can reinforce his body with. That is because if a body is has more magic coursing through its system than it can safely handle the body will, well _break_.

Promotion in Pawns works by temporary granting the Pawn the ability to handle more magic running thought its body than what would normally be possible. But this ability isn't all powerful, there are limits. A Pawn can only hold that much power for so long before his body begins to break down.

A newly reincarnate Pawn can sustain a Queen promotion for only five full minutes before they reach the point where they begin putting their lives at risk. And that is five minutes a week as the Pawn will need at least that long to recover from its damage. That is why the limit is put in place, so that pawns won't continuously promote and end up killing themselves.

That is also the reason why Pawns are able to Promote to Knights, Rooks and Bishops instead of only Queens. The other three types of Promotions put far less strain on Pawns than Queens, allowing them to sustain their Promotion safely for longer periods of time.

There are ways to circumvent this limit however. The simplest and least effective manner is training. While a rather slow method, with time and practice a Pawn can expand the time limit of their promotion.

The second way is to simply resurrect a Pawn with several Pieces. In addition to improving the base Stats of the Pawn, the more Pieces as Pawn takes when being resurrected the better they can handle the strain of Promotion. It is estimated that a Pawn Resurrected with 9 Pawn Pieces will be able to sustain a Queen Promotion indefinitely.

In recent years it has become a popular practice among Devils hoping to create a combat based Peerage to only resurrect Pawns that cost at least three or four Pawn Pieces as it is believed that any less would not be enough to make the Pawn an asset in battle.

The other reason why Promotion is restricted is to limit the Drain of magic on the King. As we have mentioned above, it take 20% of a King's magic supply to support a Peerage consisting of 1 Queen, 2 Rooks, 2 Knights, 2 Bishops and 8 Pawns.

Now imagine what would happen if all 8 Pawns promote themselves to Queen, The King will now how to supply enough Magic to sustain 9 Queens, 2 Rook, 2 Knights and 2 Bishops. In such a scenario the drain of magic on the King will increase to several time to what it usual is. Such a huge drain at long periods will eventually learn to the death of the King or potential damage their magic system leaving crippled.

The Promotion ability is limited for a good reasons. Although there have been cases that Ajuka had been willing to remove the limit when a Pawn had proven himself capable of handling the burden of Promotion.

**Knight:**

The knight is a fairly simple Piece to understand. It is incredibly fast and...that's it really.

Yet where does the Knight get its speed? If it was just an increase in muscles strength than shouldn't the Knight have strength as well as speed? The secret to the knight's speed lies within their bones.

Unlike any other Piece the Knight's bones have been hollowed out, not unlike that of a bird's. In place of marrow, it is filled with the same brand of magic used that allow Devils to fly with their wings (look up the entry bellow labeled 'Flight Magic' for a better understanding).

This Magic allows Knights the ability to move in incredible speeds but leaves their bones in a brittle state. Which is why the Knight's lower legs are considered their weak point. As it is easy for a strike to directly hit a bone when aiming for the legs where there is too little muscle or fat covering the shins, knees or feet.

Another weak point that is created by the Knight's hollow bones is that they are incapable of striking an opponent when going full speed. If they do the momentum of the strike is just as likely to break their arms as it is to harm the enemy. That is why Devils who are much slower than a Knight is still capable of blocking their strikes, as there is a moment before the blow lands where the Knight has to slow down. However this is still an incredibly difficult thing to do, as even when slowing down Knights strikes are incredibly fast.

While a Knight's Piece does increase a Devil's speed it does not increase the Devil's reflexes. So newly made Knights need to train their reflexes to match their speed or else they'd be forced to slow down when in crowded areas, in places with uneven terrain or when approaching an enemy.

There has been more than one case where recently Reincarnated Knights failed to turn in time and ended up going splat against a wall…kind of like a fly on a car's windshield.

**Rook:**

Overwhelming strength matched with an impenetrable defensive, those are the characteristics that make up a Rook.

Yet why are Rooks slow? If they have so much strength within them then shouldn't that lead to an increase in speed as well? Especially since there is no significant increase in weight when a Devil is resurrected as a Rook.

The answer lies in their tendons. The key to the Rook's strength is not their muscles but their tendons and bones.

A common misconception is that by building up one's muscles will lead to affective increase in strength but that is simply not true. Both Devil and human muscles are capable of exerting much more strength than they normal do. But the brain prevents this because using your muscles to their full capacity will damage your body. To be more precise, your tendons will snap or your bones will splinter under the strain.

There have been cases where Devils have attempted to increase the strength of their muscles through magic but not anything else. Not surprisingly, their body was literally ripped to bits when they attempted to test their newfound strength as their muscle pulled itself off their bones.

It is actually believed that the Rook's defense was created as a result of trying to make a body sturdy enough to withstand the strain of a sharp increase in strength. That the defense was a consequence of trying to create as physically strong devil not the purpose.

The result is that Rooks have incredible hard bone. So hard that there have been Rooks that have suffered attacks strong enough to pulverize their internal organs but leave their bones completely unharmed.

The weak spot for a Rook are the areas in the body unprotect by bone such the belly, throat and eyes. Magic attacks are also potential weakness as their body is far more effective and resisting physical damage than elemental ones.

Due the tendons becoming so tough, it doesn't expand and contract as fast as it used to.

**Bishop:**

The Bishop is by far the easiest Piece to understand.

When a Devil is resurrected as a Bishop, their magic reserves and capacity are greatly increased. For those of you don't know the terms, magic reserves is the maximum amount of Mana a Devil can store in his body at any given moment, while the magic capacity is the amount of Mana a Devil can pour into his spells.

In simple terms the more reserves you have the more spells you can cast, while the higher your capacity the more powerful you can make your spells.

Peerage Bond (Magic Resistance):

All living creatures that are capable of casting magic have some form of Magic Resistance. The more Mana the being has the higher is its resistance.

Magic Resistance has been one of the biggest problems in Devil history. While it can be beneficial as it will block the effects of harmful spell, it also blocks the effect of benevolent spells such as healing magic. There have been many cases in the past where a powerful Devils' Magic Resistance has led to their deaths from their wounds as their body were not affected by the healing spells.

This was however been solved by the introduction of the Evil Piece system.

Since all the members of a Peerage have the magical power of their King coursing through their body, their magical signatures all resemble on another as their magic have traces of their King's within them. They resemble each other so much that a Devil's body will mistake a Peerage member's magic as their own.

This phenomena will cause a Devil's Magic Resistance to have no effect between Peerage members as their body no longer recognizes it as 'foreign' magic. This allows Peerage members to heal one another with unprecedented ease or even allow the transfer of magical energy between members.

This is why skin contact between Peerage members can help an injured Devil heal, as magical energy will transfer from the healthy Devil to the injured one. However this is a mostly ineffective method of healing and should only be used when no other forms of healing is availed.

While rare, there are magical items or Sacred Gears that are capable of bypassing Magic Resistance altogether. They are however extremely rare and highly sought after.

Twilight healing is perhaps one of the most well-known of these. Capable of not just bypassing Magic Resistance but healing with non-holy magic, thus making it possible to heal Devils, many Devils are willing to pay enough gold to buy a castle three times over to get their hands on it.

**The Origin of the Evil System**

A little known fact is when Ajuka Beelzebub created the Evil Piece system, he did not intend it become a method repopulate Devil Kind. It was actually for an entirely purpose entirely.

The original versions of the Evil Piece system was known as a King's Peerage (this is where the term 'Peerage' came from) was created during the early years of the Civil War. While like the modern version, the King's Peerage used Chess Pieces, they were not capable of resurrecting the recently deceased or even working on any other species but Devils.

The purpose of it was to gift the chosen devils more power, taken from their master, their King. It was supposed to grant power to a Lord's most trusted soldiers and warriors.

Only four sets of the King's Peerage was ever made and they were all given to the Devils who went on to become the current Maous.

After the Civil war, Ajuka realized the need to find a way to repopulate Devil kind after the heavy losses they suffered during the war. It was then that he discovered a method to transform Non-Devil species into Devils and combing that discovery with the King's Peerage system he created what will later be known as the Evil Piece system.

After its creation all the Maous trader in their King's Peerage for Evil Pieces instead.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

We'll that's it.

Thank you all so much for your support.

Please tell me what you think and thank you for reading.


	6. Chapter 6: Can you feel the burn?

**Story Start**

* * *

Can you feel the burn?

I looked at the door to my right wistfully. Three paces, just three quick paces and I'll reach it. Then I'll be out of the house and free from whatever madness that was about to descend upon this place.

Letting out one last sigh of longing I turned my head looked and over to my left. There was Asia. She collapsed soon after flipping God off last night, so it wasn't too surprising to see her up so early even though the sun wasn't even fully out yet.

She was dressed in a long sleeved button up pajamas with matching navy blue pants. The pajamas had pictures of cartoonish little devils with horns and pitchforks printed all over them. Her hair was in a mess, having clearly just gotten out of bed and she had a mug of steaming coffee on the table in front of her.

She was also staring with wide unblinkingly eyes at the open laptop before her. And when I say unblinkingly, I meant that she hadn't blinked once in the last two minutes I was watching her. From the angle I was standing I couldn't see what was on the screen and I was honestly scared of finding out.

I was tempted, so very tempted to just walk out of here and never find out but I couldn't do it. No matter how much I wanted to, I couldn't just leave Asia like that.

Giving the door one final look, I began to make my way to Asia's side.

I walked around the living room's coffee table that Asia was currently using as a desk. Instead of trying to squeeze myself between the table and the sofa that Asia was sitting on, I walk around the back of the sofa and glanced at the computer screen over Asia's shoulder. I immediately wished I hadn't.

Oh by the body of the dead God, Asia had just discovered porn.

"Shirou." She said as she looked up at me with wide frightened eyes. Her bottom lip quivered as she spoke and her voice sounded so broken and confused, as if the world had stopped making sense and she no longer knew what to believe in anymore "Shirou, what are those two girls doing to that poor cup?"

I turned and ran.

Even if Gilgamesh was waiting outside the door I would have ran to up to him with arms wide open rather than stay and deal with this madness.

* * *

I took another sip of the surprisingly good cup of tea. I had no idea what kind of brand the leaves were but they tasted fantastic considering I pinched this from the Student Council's personal stock, though I doubted Sona would have minded.

Despite the lights being turned off, the Student Council room was brightly lit thanks to the wide widows that filled the entire face of one wall. Even thought it was barely seven in the morning, it was already a clear and sunny day. I was seated in an out of the way corner as I waited for the rest of the Student Council to arrive.

I spent the last half hour scouting the immediate area around the school. As far as I can tell, except for the ones on their personal property, the only Bounded Fields that existed inside of what was official Devil territory were of the identifying and detecting variety.

There were over two dozen Bounded fields scattered all over the place and most of their effective ranges overlapped one another. It was a surprisingly well thought out design that would allow the owners to track down any unregistered magical presence that entered their territory with a fair degree of accuracy. With a system like that it's no surprise that they were able to track down that Fallen so easily.

It's quite clear though that whoever designed the Bounded Field system here only intended them to work on enemies that were attempting to sneak in. There was practically no defensive Fields other than the ones in their residences and the one at the old school building. Which was fairly reasonable as most defensive Bounded Fields would only been needed if you were expecting to be attacked by more powerful or more numerous enemies and the Fields strong enough to make an actual difference were incredible time consuming to maintain, especially over a large area.

I could not blame them for only setting up the ones they already had, as it would only take a couple of hours a week to maintain them when you split the work between all the Devils here. However that give me much less to work with than I would have liked.

It would take too long for me to set up enough Bounded Fields by myself to make a difference and impossible for me to maintain them all by myself if I could. Instead I'll try to convince Sona and Gremory to strengthen the defenses they already had in place at their homes and set some up over the school, as it was the place they all spent most of their time at.

Which was why I was currently waiting in the Student Council room for Sona to appear. Convincing her to set up some Bounded Fields at school shouldn't be too difficult. All I have to do is mention it as obvious security flaw in the middle of a conversation and Sona's perfectionist streak will take care of the rest. Thinking up a reason for them to strength the ones they have over their homes however a completely different matter is.

Neither Serafall nor Sirzechs wanted them to be aware of the reason I was here. Partially because they feared that Sona and the Gremory's teenage rebellious streak would cause them to fight back against what they would most likely see as their elder sibling's overprotectiveness acting out, and make it that much harder to watch over them

Partly not to worry them over what could be potentialy nothing, they were teenage kids after all. Serafall and Sirzechs had spent most of their childhood years in a time when the possibility of war was constantly looming over their head and they spent the rest of their youths in an actual war.

They wanted their sibling to experience an ordinary childhood that they never received. And if that meant making certain a Queen's life difficult by sending him to not only protect them by dealing with the possible threat but to do so in secret, well it was a price both of them are more than happy.

I would have been more upset over the whole thing if I didn't understand where they were coming from. After all I wanted the same thing for Ilya.

"-are you sure Kaichou?" a voice signaled my time of waiting was finally over, as I heard the steady beat of footsteps approach the door.

"Yes, Tsubaki. I just need a minute to deal with something alone," The door knob turned and the door was cracked open slightly, "please make sure that the repairs are done before the school day begins."

"Understood Kaichou." Tsubaki responded before I heard her turn and walk away.

The Student Council door was opened the rest of the way and in walked Sona. She didn't appear to have noticed me as she immediately shut the door behind her before leaning her back against it and shutting her eyes. The only sound that filled the room was the noise of Tsubaki's steadily receding footsteps, and when it finally faded always the place was plunged into silence.

I was just about call out to Sona and make my presence known when something happened that gave me pause.

Sona, from where she was still leaning against the door, began to snicker. It started out as a low quite thing that could barely be heard but it quickly grew. It soon reached the point where Sona could no longer restrain herself and she just gave in, threw her head back and just laughed.

Her manic laughter echoed off the walls of the Council room while I just stared at her in bemusement, not quite sure what was happening or what to do. After this went on for what felt like a full minute before she finally began mixing up her laughter with words.

"HAHAHAHA, Burn~~~r Rias, BURN! YES! YES! YES! AHAHAHAHA," She said before she began to hip trust. I had to rub my to make sure I wasn't seeing things but yes, Sona Sitri, who was perhaps one of the most uptight person I knew was hip trusting while interjecting between each thrust a yell of "Burn!-Burn!-Burn!"

I looked down at my tea and checked it for drugs with my magic but it came back negative. I checked it again but when the results stayed the same I gave up trying to deny reality and just looked back up and gaped.

"Can you feel it Rias? Can you feel the bur~~n? I-Said-Can-You-Feel-it?" It was at this exact moment, right in the middle of a hip thrust, that Sona spotted me sitting in the corner. She stopped, immobilized in place, as her eyes widened and her face going pale as she stared at me with a perfect 'deer in the headlights' look.

Unfortunately for her she froze in the last position she held, which was in the middle of hip thrust. Which meant that she had her arms behind her with elbows bent and her groin was shoved forward towards a spot on the wall a little bit over to my right.

For what felt like an hour we just stared at each other, neither one of us quite sure what to say, before I felt a large shit-eating grin made it's onto my face.

"Oh don't mind me." I said calmly as I sat back into my chair and crossed my legs before I waved at her to continue, "Carry on, this looks important. I'll wait." I deliberately lifted my cup to my lips and took a long sip as I watched her, doing my very best not to break out laughing.

She just gaped at me, so shocked that her face had turned pale white before her embarrassment kicked in and she began to flush a crimson red.

"I-I-I…this isn't…I mean…don't think that…ah," She began to stammer nonsensically at me as her mind tried and failed to work out something to say.

Deciding to take pity at her I just raised a hand and motioned her to stop. "Don't bother explaining, I'm already used to it. You won't believe the amount of times I caught your sister doing the exact same thing." I told her, "Although with her she keeps telling Gabriel to burn instead of Rias. Oh by the way," I nodded towards her, "You may want to stop holding that pose now."

Sona looked down and her face, that was slowly begin to return to its normal colour, flushed red again when she noticed that she was still in the hip thrust position and quickly straightens herself out.

I gave a few more seconds to collect herself before I asked "So, what happened? It must have been something big for you to act so excited this early in the morning, and what does it have to with Gremory?"

By this time Sona had that strict librarian persona back firmly in place, only the slight dusting of her checks gave away any signs of emotion. But let's be honest, after seeing her behave like that I'm never going to fall for her strict act again.

She gave a single cough into her fist before speaking, "Yes actually, I just received some rather startling news." She made her way towards the table that held coffee and tea supplies. "And it would be more accurate to say 'someone' happened rather than something."

"Oh," feeling my interest peak despite myself, "and who is this someone?"

"Hyoudou Issei."

Just like that my mood plummeted. Ever since I had left that meeting with the Gremory, I've been trying to keep my thoughts off that name as I best I could. It was no use, no matter how much I threw myself into my work or tried distract myself with Asia's antics, that name kept coming back to haunt me. It reached the point where I just gave up trying to sleep and decided to get some extra work done instead. That was actually the reason why I was up so early.

In my head I went over all the different things I could have done, all the possible consequences and scenarios that would result in my actions. And each time I ran the numbers I found that I could have done nothing.

Even if you ignore all outside matters like my mission and Serafall, there was still no good option. Had I ran out of the club room and tried to track Issei down I wouldn't have been able to find him. I wasn't stupid and I knew that the Gremory wasn't either. I do not know for sure if she meant to set up the meeting at that time or if she just got lucky, but I had no doubt that she took advantage of the fact.

Issei was supposed to be having his date with the Fallen at this very day. Considering how early the sun sets at this time of year and the Japanese student curfew laws, it probably meant that they went out on the date right after school. That I couldn't sense a single familiar the entire time I was there just confirmed my suspicions. They were probably sent to scout the two and summon their masters once it was time.

This city may not have been the biggest one around but it still had well over half a million people living in it, not to mention I still was unfamiliar with the area. The odds of me finding him in time were slim to none. Since the date was taking place outside of Devil territory I couldn't even use the Bounded Fields to help me find them, not that I would have even been able to do so as I wasn't registered to use them.

Even if I got to Issei in time, then what?

Tell him that his girlfriend is trying to kill him? What are the odds of him believing me? Fallen Angels are known as the most charming and manipulative of the three races for a reason. All she had to do was shed a few crocodile tears and Issei would think of me as someone that was harassing his girlfriend.

The best I could do it wait for her to try to kill him then save him. Which in the worst case scenarios could have led to a fight between me and the Fallen, plus whatever comrades she may have with her right in the middle of a populated area. Best case scenario I rescues Issei without a serious fight but what should I do with him afterwards?

Rias had already said that she wouldn't take Issei into her Peerage without a better hold over him and his loyalty. That however wasn't entirely true; it would be more accurate to say that she couldn't recruit him without more proof of his obedience. After the Valantime incident Reincarnated Devils who were Longinus users and their masters were banned from entering the underworld unless special permission was given from all the major governing bodies.

While they couldn't prevent a Devil from reincarnating a Longinus user, all Devils have the right to reincarnate whoever they wished, they could keep them out. After what happened when the first and only Longinus user was reincarnated, they had no trouble enacting the law as they had the full support of the entire Underworld. Which is why she went to them for permission for this plan instead of acting it out on her own.

If I had saved Issei there was a distinct possibility that Rias may not want him in her Peerage anymore. She said it herself; until she reincarnated him he was just any ordinary human to her, there was no guarantee that she would be willing to stick her neck out for him.

I couldn't reincarnate him either. He was already claimed by Rias and that claim was recognized by both the Elder Council and Sirzechs. I had no idea what would happened if I did try to add him to my peerage but it wouldn't have been pretty. I would have been charged with theft from a Clan Heir and imprisoned at a minimum.

If I couldn't make him a part of my Peerage then there was no way I can protect Issei, not for long anyway. The Fallen Angels have already marked him for dead, they would be forced to leave him be if he was a Devil but as a human he was more or less free game. Not to mention how many other groups will be after him once they realized he was the wielder of the Boosted Gear. By the end of a month he would be just as dead if I had simply left him to the Fallen.

That's not even taking into account Vali finding out about him and hunting him down.

And that was ignoring the political consequences of it. I was the Maou's Queen; if I had attempted to save Issei from Rias it would have appeared that the Leviathan was attempting to steal a Longinus user from the Lucifer's sister. I did not even want to think the mess that would make. Political turmoil would have been putting it lightly.

That's not mentioning the purpose of my mission here. The enemies of the three factions, or at the least enemies of the current ceasefire between them, are beginning to move. The odds of war coming is rising with each passing day and me acting would only make Devil Faction more unstable than it already is, weakening it even more for the upcoming war. There was also the fact that I couldn't protect Sona and Gremory from _him_ if I couldn't work with them. Intervening with Issei would throw any hope of that happening away.

Then there was Ilya.

I'm not sure what would happen to her if I was drawn in to this whole mess. As long as I remind in good standing in the Devil community no one would dare touch her. However if I made myself an enemy of the Gremorys and the Elder Council, then I had no idea what would happen to her. I knew Serafall would do her best to protect her no matter what but there was even a limit even to what she can do. That she needed my help to protect her own sister was proof of that.

I saw Ilya die.

I saw the moment her final breath left her body. I felt her once warm face go cold beneath my hands. I heard her heartbeat slow beat by painful beat until it went silent in her chest. I listened as she said her final goodbye, whisper her final I love you. Then she died.

Even when I had lost Saber, it didn't hurt this much. Not even when Kiritsugu died, I didn't cry so much.

But now she was alive, truly alive. Not like how she used to be. Back then, though I did not realize it, the smiles she used to give me were never carefree ones. It was a smile of someone who knew her time was limited and didn't want to waste a single moment of it. So while the joy they held was no lie, it felt as if she was desperately collecting each and every smile as if they were treasures to be horded. Because if she missed even a single one, she would never find another chance to replace the one she lost.

It wasn't until I saw her give me her first genuine smile did I noticed how different they were.

Her smiles now were carefree ones, a smile of someone who has a lifetime to live and knows it. When she found out that she was going to live, that she no longer had to have the fear of death constants hanging over her, she broken down for the first time since I met her. Somehow sobbing and laughing at the same time.

I saw Ilya die once; I will not let that happen again. Not now, not after she went through so much and only had finally begun to live her life. To protect her life and her happiness I will do almost anything.

To save that smile, I had to sit back and watch a boy die.

Sometimes I really hated myself.

"It's really bothering you, isn't it?" a voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to find Sona seated in a chair that she had pulled up next to me. She was watching me with worried eyes over the frames of her glasses.

I gave her wane smile, "Is it that obvious?"

"Yes," she immediately replied, "but that's only because you were lost in thought. You're a trained liar Shirou, not a natural one.

"There is a difference?"

"A trained liar is obviously one who had to learn how to lie. If they were taught well enough, they can lie through their teeth and you wouldn't be able to tell. However if you wait until they think alone, they tend to drop the act and reveal what their thinking in their face. And you Shirou had your feelings written all over yours."

I let out a tired sigh as I felt the stress of the situation catch up with me. I looked up at the ceiling and said, "It's just that…" I drifted off as I couldn't think of what to say.

"If it helps," Sona spoke up after seeing I wasn't going to continue, "I personally thought the entire thing was a stupid idea."

"You do?"

"It's far too risky." She answered to with a nod, "Leaving the question of ethics out of it, the plan is flawed in a fundamental level. There are too many variables, to many forces in play that are beyond Rias's control to justify the risk. Even if everything goes according to plan, which is unlikely, there still leaves the issue of what would happen if Issei ever found out that Rias left him to die. No matter how close he becomes to the rest of the Peerage by that time I doubt it would end up pleasant. If it were me I would have handled the situation in a completely different manner."

"How would you have done it then?"

"Simple, I would have recruited him into the Student Council. It wouldn't have been too hard to convince him seeing most of our members are girls, and I would have forced him to behave by threating to expel him. Considering how many rules he broke over the year by peeping at all the girls," a distasteful frown crossed her face as she said this, though whether it was at the peeping or rule breaking was anyone's guess, "it would have been easy to persuade him it was well within my power to expel him not from this school but every other school in the country. That I actually do have enough genuine reasons to justify expelling just made it easier. Rias is the only reason why he hasn't already been expelled.

"I would have observed him for a period of six months or so while keeping our identity as Devils as a secret. During that time I would judge him to see if he could be safely integrated into my Peerage. It would all depend of course on how well he got along with the rest of the Council and how the strong the bonds between them are.

"If he failed I would have simply kicked him out, Boosted gear or no Boosted gear. No matter how great the prize it is not worth recklessly risking the lives of my Peerage over, particularly when it involves something as dangerous as an out of control Dragon. If on the other hand he had passed, then I would have informed him about Devils, bribed him with knowledge that Devils can legally obtain harems, then spent the rest of the year whipping his weak body into shape using the promise of sending him to one of the Underworlds many brothels as a reward.

"All in all it will be a long-term investment with a low-risk and high-return. In other words, my preferred method of operating."

"If it was that easy why hasn't Gremory done the same?" I asked.

She grimaced at that, "You have to understand Shirou, Rias has always been lucky when it comes to her Peerage, and I mean insanely so. I would have understood it if she had done some work and had spent time and effort looking for Peerage but she never had to. It was as if the hand of some god guided them to her.

"Each and every one of her Peerage just seemed to fall onto her lap with her barely having to lift a finger. To make matter even more unbelievable, every one of them either has a powerful Sacred Gears or a powerful bloodline."

She started to count them off, lifting a finger for each example, "Kiba has the Sacred Gear Sword Rebirth, Koneko is a Nekoshou, Akeno has the blood of a powerful Fallen Angel as well as that of the Himejima Clan and then there is Gasper a Dhamphir with rare ability Daywalker and the Sacred Gear that is one step short from being a Longinus, the Forbidden Balor View.

"Rias has never actually had to work at convening any one of them to join her. Half of them were either dead or dying when she found them and the other half had no place to return to and were more or less homeless orphans. So she ended up making them into her peerage the very day she met them.

"The reason why she's so stumped with Issei is because she has no idea how to go about recruiting him. It wouldn't surprise me if she spent the better part of the year waiting for a perfect moment to jump in and rescue him." She shrugged at the way I stared at her, "Now don't give me that look. It may sound foolish to us but to Rias, she simply knows no other way. It probably never even occurred to her to simply approach him and try to become friends first."

"Plus Rias is very much aware of her luck, so she probably expected it to kick in some way and give her some opportunity to rescue then recruit him like she usually does. Then what happens? lo and behold, a Fallen Angel appears threatening Issei and now she has the perfect chance to swoop in and rescue him." She shook her head at disbelief at the situation.

"Then why doesn't she save him just before he dies, she can still become the _hero," _I didn't even bother hiding my sarcasm as I spoke that word, "that she wants to be that way and still get to recruit Issei."

"You already know the answer to that question Shirou." She was right, I did.

"The Elder Council." I answered which she nodded in agreement.

"Right after the Valantime incident, no one can bring a Longinus user into the Underworld without both their and a Maou's explicit permission. Rias is unwilling to cross them, not when she has been trying to gather as much political support she can muster to get out of marriage with Riser. If she tries to recruit Issei without their permission she will lose whatever influence she has gathered over the last few years. As you can see it's a completely convoluted mess."

"Then what I don't get is why the Council and Sirzechs are even approving the plan to begin with. Don't they realize what would happen if Issei ever figures all this out? There would hell to pay."

Sona let out a sigh and put down her almost untouched mug, "The Elder Council Shirou, as their name implies, are old. Despite not being a part of the Old Devil Faction they were grown and raised under there rule. Consequently they have many outdated views of the world.

"Now as far as I can tell, there are two reasons why they approved the plan. The first is that they do not believe that Issei will ever discover that he's been tricked. That even if Rias or a member of her Peerage slip up in some way he will not be smart enough to put the pieces together."

"That has to be the most ridicules thing I've ever heard!" I exclaimed, "They can't be so stupid as to believe that he will never figure things out."

"No, Shirou the Council may be many things but they aren't stupid by any means. Stubborn and old fashioned yes, but never make the blunder of underestimating them and calling them stupid. That would be a mistake, one they won't let you live long enough to learn from.

"The Elder Council is a viper den and despite the civilized appearance the Council tries to project, is as bloody and deadly as any battlefield. Every member is as vicious as they come and none of them would have survived there for long if they were in anyway stupid. They may not match the Maous in strength but in cunning they are more than equal. Every single one of the Maous are wary when dealing with them…well, except for my sister but that's because they're horrified of her after she somehow, during the course of a single two-hour meeting, was able to convince three among their eldest members to become Magic Girl fanatics.

"From what I heard one of them, an old man with a beard that reaches down to his toes, had begun carrying around a pink wand and now winks whenever he introduces himself or casts a spell."

…That is the women who I had sold my soul to.

"Returning back to the topic of discussion, the reason why they believe Issei will never figure it out is because they think that humans are little more than stupid semi-intelligent animals and I can't blame them for thinking so." Sona quickly raised a hand to forestall my response and continued to speak. "Remember Shirou that these people are _old._ When they were our age most of Europe was too afraid to take a bath because they believed too much water would make them sick and eventually kill them. They grew up around humans that would bleed themselves out with leaches because they believed having too much blood was unhealthy or they would whip themselves in the back because they thought that it would make them closer to god. And that only applies to the _youngest_ members of the Council, who know how humans behaved when the oldest members were teens.

"That is the kind of humans they grew up with and it is also the image they have of them inside of their minds. While intellectually they know that is no longer the case, emotionally the still believe humans to be little more than intelligent apes. I also discovered that they have received reports on Issei, and well, let's just say it didn't do much to dissuade that impression."

I thought back to my first meeting of the Perverted Trio and the memory of them running away while being chased by the Kendo team…I had to admit put it that way and I couldn't completely blame them for thinking Issei would be an idiot.

"I have talked to Issei before and he's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed so I doubt he'd figure it out at first, but given enough time even he will eventually put it all together.

"Now comes the second reason." Sona took a moment to adjust her glasses before carrying on, "They didn't want to give him an opportunity to refuse."

I just stared at her for a second before face palming, "…What?"

"Think about it, Issei is the wielder of the Booster Gear. While they may not like it, it makes him a serious threat to them. Worse, in their mind, he could become a weapon to be used against them if any of the other faction or even other pantheons got a hold of him."

"And seeing as how the Fallen had already discovered him, they were afraid that the others would soon follow." I finished for her. It made sense, the fallen had already gotten hold of Divine Dividing and the Angels had the Zenith Tempest. Now they find out that they all the while had been sitting on hands concerning the Boosted Gear issue the Fallen had come closing in. If the Elder Council was as ruthless as Sona implied it only makes sense that when pushed they'd be willing to do whatever it takes to get absolute control over the Boosted Gear.

"Then what about Sirzechs, why did he agree with this madness?"

"Shirou, Sirzechs a monster." She looked me dead in the eye as she said this. "He's a likeable monster, one with a heart but that doesn't make him any less of one. Don't forget Shirou that Sirzechs is the Maou, not just _a_ Maou, but the only one that really matters. No matter how much you sugarcoat it, when people think about the leader of the Devils they don't think of Ajuka, Falbium or my sister. They think of Sirzechs.

"You don't get that kind of power or recognition by asking nicely. Sirzechs is the one true Lord of Devils because is he the best of us. Not just in power but in charisma, cunning and ruthlessness. He fought his way to the top leaving battlefields full of corpses in his wake and was able to hold his position unopposed for two hundred years.

"And I guarantee you, whatever reasons he appears to have for supporting this plan, they are completely different than his real reason. In many ways he and my sister think alike. They always have plans within plans and you can never tell what they're truly thinking."

"That much at least we agree on," I told her while feeling mildly relived that someone else shared my opinion on Sirzechs, "Still even after hearing all their reason doesn't make me feel any better about the situation."

At my words, a smile began to grow on Sona's face. "Well, if you're still upset about how Rias handled Issei then you'll love this news."

I cocked an eyebrow at that, "Does it have anything to do why you were in such a good mood when you came in and why you wanted Gremory to 'feel the burn'?''

Though she faintly blushed at that her smile didn't diminish at the slightest, "You have to understand that while Rias is one of my dearest friends and that I truly love her, she has been driving me insane over the last week.

"She took every opportunity to rub it in my face that she was about to get a Longinus user in her Peerage. How even though I searched the school from top to bottom for Peerage members three times over, I ended up missing the wielder of the Boosted Gear and how she didn't. Or how wrong I was for wanting to expel the Perverted Trio and how she was right for wanting them to stay." Sona reached out with her hands and held them before her as if was about to throttle something. "It reached the point where I just wanted to strangle that pretty throat of hers." Her smile looked more than a little bit strained as she said that. It was actually starting to get scary to look at.

"But then," her smile did a 180 and became far more genuine, "I heard the most wonderful news before I arrived. I just ran into Kiba on his way to his morning training and I found out what happened to Issei."

"What?" I asked, more than little worried for the kid. "Did something go wrong? They didn't fail to resurrect him did they?

"Oh no no no," Sona's smile grew into a wide Cheshire smile, one that made her remarkably like Serafall moments before a prank, "nothing went wrong. Quite the opposite as a matter of fact. Everything went according to plan down to the letter. The Fallen killed Issei, Rias popped in the last second and successfully resurrected him into a pawn just as she wanted."

"I don't see why you so happy about it." Though I was relieved that Issei was fine at least, I was still didn't like how things played out.

Sona's 'Serafall smile' was still firmly in place though, and she continued, "Ah, but I didn't tell you the best part yet. It seems that the shock and pain of his injuries has caused Issei to waken his Sacred Gear before he died."

"He awakened the Boosted gear?"

"No."

"No?" I repeated dumbly, "What do you mean no? You just said he had awakened his Sacred Gear"

"Yes, he did awaken his Sacred Gear." Her smile, if possible grew even wider as her glasses seemed to flash in the sunlight. "It just happened to be however, that the Sacred Gear he awakened wasn't the Booster Gear." She paused, clearly trying to draw out the moment before she carried on, "It was Twice Critical instead."

I took me the better part of five second to process what she said but when I finally did I dragged my jaw off the floor and murmured out in disbelief, "No way." Then more loudly, "Are you sure it's Twice Critical? It could be an incomplete awakening. While rare it does happen sometimes."

She held up a single finger, "One pawn piece," the vindictive glee in her voice was unmistakable, "Rias suspected the same thing and when she tried to revive him with all of her pawns, she ended up needing only one to make it work."

I gaped. I was so flabbergasted that I couldn't do anything but let my jaw fall open and gap at her.

Sona let out a cackle, an honest to Satan witch's cackle, at my reaction before speaking, "One pawn piece, one measly pawn Shirou. It wasn't even a mutated one, but a completely regular pawn. That's even worse because Twice Critical should automatically double a person's value, which means Issei's base stats isn't even valued at half a pawn – well screw you my rival, now you can finally feel the _burn._

"Oh Rias rubbed it in my face that she was getting a Longinus for so long, making me burn with envy and self-rage at how I could have missed it, only for it to turn into Twice Critical. Worse, she ended up with one of the Perverted Trio in her peerage." Sona threw her hands wide open in joy.

"I'm so happy with that boy I'm not expelling the other two. They'll be a reminder of this day, and every time I'm in a bad mood I'll just look at them, think of this moment and laugh." Which she then proceeded to do just that.

I couldn't help it, I broke down laughing and joined her.

Truth be told, I was planning on finding a way to get back at the Gremory for what she did to poor Issei but it looks like I didn't have to. Issei ended up doing it all by himself. And this is by far worse than anything I could have done to the Gremory. Oh what I would pay to see the look on the Elder Council's faces when she has to go up to them and announce that the Boosted Gear that she claimed to have found ended up being nothing more than Twice Critical. That she wasted the entire Elders Council time on what was nothing but a wild goose chase. She was never going to live this down.

God may be dead, but Divine Justice is alive and kicking after all.

The best part is, she may have actually ended up saving Issei's life after all. If she had approached him in the first place and discovered that Issei didn't have the Boosted Gear but Twice Critical instead, she would never have bothered to recruit him. This meant that if the Fallen Angels made the same mistake of believing he carried the Boosted Gear, there would have been no one there to resurrect him when they killed him. But now that he's part of the Gremory's Peerage he's safe.

To top it off, her Gremory Greed would not allow her to surrender Issei no matter what. Even if she wouldn't have wanted him in the first place when it comes to their Peerage, Gremorys can resemble a Dragon hording its gold. It doesn't matter whether they even want the gold or not or even if they have nothing to spend all they gold on, they will not let so much as a single coin go without a fight. Their Greed would demand nothing less.

After out laughter finally began to taper off, Sona resumed talking.

"Now don't get me wrong Shirou, I love Rias I really do but sometimes it seems like she keeps getting all the luck when it comes to Peerage members. That for once, just once, her luck has forsaken her has finally made things fair.

"This might make me a bad friend but at this moment there is nothing more than I want to do than hire that American fellow, that actor Ashton something. Then I'll fly him all the way here and make him break into the Occult Clubroom and yell 'BURN!' right in her face before just turning around and leaving. The look on her face will make it worth the cost."

Shaking my head in amusement, I said, "I know I keep saying this but despite outwards appearances, you and your sister are exactly alike in every way that matters."

She looked oddly pleased with that before shrugging and adjusting her glasses, "We are sisters after all."

Before I had a chance to response we were interrupted by the Council room's door opening.

"Kaichou, we have a slight problem. The repair man for the-oh", Tsubaki stopped speaking when she caught sight of me, "I'm sorry Kaichou, I didn't know you were entertaining guests."

"Its fine Tsubaki," I waved it off, "we weren't talking about anything important anyway. Besides you're going to probably start seeing me a lot around him from now on, might as well start getting used to me."

Tsubaki looked towards Sona for confirmation and seeing her nod, continued with what she was originally planning to say, "Kaichou, the repairman for the second floor's electric problem is going to arrive here at nine at the earliest. I'm afraid that we won't be able to restore power to that floor in time for morning classes."

"What about the Academy's Handyman?"

"He looked at it but it seems whatever the problem is it's beyond his capability to fix."

Sona let out a frustrated sight before continuing, "Looks like we have no choice then, we'll just have to relocate the classes for the day. We can split them up between the spares classrooms in the first and third floor for the time-"

"Actually," I interrupted her, "if you're having a repair problem, I might just be able to help with that"

I did my best to restrain my eager smile as they both gave me confused looks.

* * *

I, Sona Sitri, have seen and experienced many strange and unusual things in my short life. Having lived with my sister for most of my childhood has assured that. But even to me, this is new.

"That right there is your problem." Shirou's voice echoed out of large power box that was responsible for the school power supply. He had most of his upper body leaning inside and all that I could see of him were his legs.

At this moment I am in the presence of one of the most powerful existence on the continent, an Ultimate-Class Devil, a Queen of a Maou's Peerage no less, a being capable of tearing down entire mountains ranges and bring ruin to cities, and what do I do with him? I turn him into my school's handy man, what basically amounts to a little more than a Janitor.

"There is a large batch of wires that were completely burned out."

I'm not sure what made it worse; that he _liked_ doing this kind of work or that he was actually good at it.

"If I use my magic, I can make some emergency repairs. It'll only be a patch job but it will last until the electrician fixes it."

When did my life become so messed up? Ah that's right, ever since I became my sister's sister. I was doomed from the very start.

"Is that fine by you Sona?"

"Yes, that will be fine Shirou." I replied while pinching the bridge of my nose.

Then again, Grayfia seemed to love working as a maid so maybe it was the position that just drives people crazy. Or perhaps it was a consequence of becoming powerful, a price that every strong Devil has to pay.

Does that mean that there exists the possibility that I may end up going crazy one day as well?

"Tsubaki." I called out to my Queen.

"Yes Kaichou?"

"If I ever end up regularly wearing a Magical Girl costume and start using a pink wand to cast spells of my own free will, promise me you'll kill me." I told her solemnly, "Trust me, it will be a mercy killing."

She placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and gave me an understanding look, "I promise Kaichou."

I wonder if it was a sign of my coming insanity that I felt reassured by that.

* * *

The endless droning of the teacher reverberated through the classroom as I stared out the window, not paying any attention to the lesson.

Turns out that Sona had a point when she told me I was ready for graduation, as I already knew most of what was being taught. It was the same for almost all of my classes. Though most of the teachers here were pretty good at their job, much better than my old school, even they can't make listening to facts that I already knew entertaining.

Thankfully I didn't share this class with Sona or any of Peerage members or else I'd probably be getting an earful for slacking off. As I sat there waiting for class to end, my mind came to wonder towards a mystery that had been plaguing me since I had that little chat with Sona. The Boosted Gear.

If Hyoudou Issei doesn't have it than who does?

Koneko claimed to have smelled the scent of a Dragon on Issei. No, to be more precise she said that the smell originated from him. Twice Critical, despite being a Dragon type sacred gear, is simply not strong enough to generate a powerful enough scent for her to notice when it's dormant, even when awakened the smell would be too weak to be notice unless she was standing next to it. There is no way it could leave a Dragon's scent all over school grounds.

That raises the question of how was it possible for Issei to have the scent of a Dragon. For that to happen Issei must have held the Boosted Gear at one point but if it had been removed he would be dead. No two ways about it, the process of removing a Sacred Gear removes the tethers the Soul has to the body.

Yet no matter how many ways I cut it, I can't think of anything other than the removal of the Boosted Gear that could explain the scent but Issei is clearly not dead. We'll at least he wasn't dead until the Fallen killed him but he had that scent well before then.

Magic has proven that a soul is attached to the body of an embryo with the first beat of its heart and the Sacred Gear alongside it. This makes the Sacred Gear tied so closely to its wielders life that it becomes impossible for the wielder to survive without it.

Yet somehow Issei shows signs of bearing a Sacred Gear that he clearly does not have.

I would have continued this line of thought if the sound of tapping hadn't caught my attention. Looking down towards my left, I found the source of the noise. There was a small crow standing on the ledge of the window and it was pecking against the glass to catch my attention.

While I didn't remember his name I did recognized the bird. It was familiar, one that belonged to one of the Devils that were assigned to guarding the border of the City. This particular breed of crows was popular among certain groups of Devils.

Though they had very little magic in them, leaving them incapable of transforming or casting proper spells, they were highly intelligent creatures capable of understanding and obeying complexes commands. Most importantly though their lack of magic made them incredibly difficult to detect allowing them to sneak past regular Bounded Fields, those geared towards sensing the presence of supernatural beings, with remarkable ease. It made them ideal scouts and spies.

Acting as inconspicuously as I could, I cracked open the window and slipped my hand through to take the small folded piece of paper it held in its beak. Its job now complete the crow didn't bother to stick around, as after a single flutter of its wings it took off.

After carefully looking around to make sure no one notice, I shut the window and began to read the note. A small voice in my head, one that sounded suspiciously like archer, sarcastically commented about the astonishing amount of effort I was going through for what basically amounts to sneaking around a couple of school girls to make sure they don't discover the existence of their secret guards.

I ignored the voice and focused on the letter instead, even if I did agree with it.

I read it once, read it again to make sure I didn't misunderstand anything then leapt straight out of my seat and made my way out of the classroom as fast as I could.

"Emiya-san what are you-" The rest of the teacher's question was cut off after I shut the door to behind me. There was going to be hell to pay later on but that can wait. Right now I had to hurry.

Something big was happening in Fallen territory.

* * *

The church was of an old fashion Victorian architectural design, something that felt entirely out of place in a modern Japanese city. It was built from solid grey stone, with large beautify crafted stained windows lining its wall. The small forest of trees that surrounded it gave the impression that church fell out of some Medieval European fairytale.

The impression however was completely ruined by the McDonald and adult video store that was located across the street from it.

The church was built in the early half of the 20th century, soon after the end of Second World War. It was created in hopes of spreading Christianity in Japan. Unfortunately for this particular church, the citizens of this city had very little interest in religion and the church was soon abandoned due exceedingly low attendance.

That was one of the primary reasons why Serafall and Sirzechs had allowed their siblings to attend this city in particular. The lack of any real presence from the Vatican in this city made it an ideal location as it meant that they didn't have to worry about any Priests or Exorcist harming them.

After the church had been abandoned it was soon taken over by the Fallen and had been turned their primary base of operations in this city. That only made the lack of any presence in the place even more disturbing.

I scrutinized the church from where I stood, perched on top of one of the trees that surrounded the building and marked the beginning of Fallen territory. Reinforcing my already Devil enhanced eyes to the limit, I carefully scrutinized every inch of the structure that I could see.

The message I received stated that the Bounded Field that protected the church had fallen. Not due to lack of power or maintenance but was forcefully brought down by someone. One of the many familiars that the guards have spread out across the city had sensed it. And since they couldn't investigate it themselves without risking their cover being blown they asked me to instead.

Which is what I have been doing for the better part of the last half hour. I couldn't just walk into Fallen territory, not without risking an incident. The best I could do was watch them from the border between their land and neutral ground. But what I've seen so far has gotten me worried, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say what I wasn't seeing.

The place looked empty.

I raised out an arm for the familiar to perch on as soon I heard it approached. When I felt the familiar weight of the bird land onto my arm I turned my sights towards it. Just like one that delivered me the message it was a crow but this time it was one I recognized. It was Ingrid, a familiar that belonged to the head of the guards' station here and my primary source of communication with them.

She looked pretty much like any of the other crows, expect of a single blue feather that grew just above her right eye. Whether that was her natural coloring or something that was artificially done, I never bothered asking.

"Did you notice anyone?" I asked her. I had sent her ahead to see if she could spot any signs of life in the church. She may not have been able to enter the place but with Bounded Fields down she can get close enough to listen in.

She gave me a quick shake of her head as an answer. I frowned in thought at that. It made no sense, why would the Fallen leave the church unprotected by either magic or guards. I suspected it to be a trap for a moment before dismissing the thought as ludicrous. Not only do the Fallen here lack the firepower to fight even half the Devils in the city they also have no reason to try to bait us into their territory.

There was something very wrong here. Unfortunately it looked like it was my job to find out what that something is.

I tossed Ingrid back into the air before leaping off the tree and landing on the ground below with a slight crouch. Even now after all these months I marveled at the strength of my body, at my lack of needing to reinforce myself to survive the fall. When I was still human it was improbable for me to make a jump like this and emerged completely unscathed, even if I had reinforced my body to the limit. Now though, it felt like skipping a step when climbing down the stairs.

It was at moments like this I begin to understand why some Pure-Blooded Devils look down on humans. They were born with bodies like this one, bodies capable of shattering stone and bending steel with their bare hands without any training. To them, what must a human look like? A creature that they can shatter by accident simply by shaking their hands too quickly.

I stood out from my crouch and silently made my way towards the church, reinforcing my ears as I did so. As a precaution I traced the married twin swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, into my hands. Unlike Archer, these were not my go to weapon of choice. Archer primarily favored them above all others was due to their fast tracing time and relatively low Prana cost. With my current body neither tracing time nor Prana cost were an issue.

Despite my ability to copy the skills of previous wielders, I still had some trouble dual-wielding weapons compared to simply using a single blade. It doesn't matter if you have the skill but lack the mental awareness of the situation around you. When wielding two weapons you have to constantly be aware where the other blade was, if at any time your concentration slips you're just as likely to end up cutting yourself as you are the enemy. In an actual fight it was worse because you had to pay attention to your enemy and your surroundings in addition to both your blades. And while I was quite good at wielding them, and constantly getting better, I was still more comfortable wielding a single blade then two.

Not to mention Archer's suicidal style of fighting with them was simply insane. If push comes to shove, I will not hesitate to use it especially against a superior opponent that I simply am unable to beat without putting my life on the line. But if I have other options available to me I see no need to recklessly gamble my life. Sometimes when I looked at these blades I can't help but wonder if Archer, for all of his talk of saving people, was simply hoping to die.

In spite of their low ranks Kanshou and Bakuya were incredibly useful blades when they were paired. When I held both of them together they cause my magical resistance and physical resistance to improve. Considering that I was about to enter the heart of enemy territory with no idea what to expect, I wanted all the protection I could muster.

It didn't take me long to make my way out of the forest and into the clearing that lead to the church's entrance. The great wooden doors of the building loomed before me, it had interact patterns carved into the wood and each door had a steel cross hanging on the front.

I slowly approached the door, keeping my guard up and ears reinforced for any approaching danger. Yet nothing came. Even as I stood close enough to the door to touch it, I neither heard nor sensed anything approaching me. I began to concentrate on my still maturing Devil ability to sense magic and when I couldn't find any traces of magic or magical creatures in the area I decided to enter the church.

Careful to avoid touching the crosses, I grabbed onto the door handle and pulled them open. They swung open on surprisingly well-oiled hinges revealing the gloomily interior of the church's sanctuary that hide behind them.

In the first few days I had been reborn into a Devil, I had been repeatedly warned about the dangers of ever entering a church. Even if you disregard all of the crosses and holy water that could be found within them, the interior of a church is exceedingly dangerous for Devil. As a divine place that is recognized by God as his home, any Devils who enters would be weakened by the Holiness of the place as long as they remained within its hallowed halls. How much they are weakened would depend on the 'purity' of the church itself.

Entering something like Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City would significantly weaken even a Maou and completely vaporize Low-Class Devils. A small church will be less potent but will still have a notable effect even on powerful Devils. So when I took my first step past the threshold I braced in myself in anticipation of….nothing apparently? Huh, did the place lose its effect when it was taken over by the Fallen? Doesn't matter I wasn't about to question my good fortune, that was rare enough as it is.

Walking from the bright sunny day outside into the dark and dim interior would have left a human's eyes blinded for several seconds until they adjusted to the lack of light. As a Devil my eyes needed no time to adjust, quite the opposite in fact. The instant I walked into the gloom my nocturnal eyes began to see far more clearly than it did compared to the world under the sun.

I had barely set a single foot into the place before I found the Fallen.

I froze in my tracks the moment I caught sight of them and quickly brought my blades up, quickly scanning the room for any signs of an attack. My eyes began darting from cover to cover, while my ears strained to catch even the slightest noise of a hidden ambusher. However after an entire minute had passed and the end of the second one was quickly approaching, I concluded that no attack was coming.

Giving one final look all around me, I began to carefully make my way deeper into the interior of the church. The place had no source of light except for the small amount of sunlight that streamed through the stained glass windows, coating the floor on either side of me with beautiful colored drawings of saints and angels. They however did little to illuminate the place.

Finally reaching the end of the hall I stood before the altar and looked up at the wall behind it, where the crucified corpses of the Fallen Angels hung from.

Nailed into the church's wall by their wrists and ankles with crude Iron nails, were four Fallen Angels. Three females and one male, which accounts for all the Fallen that were supposed to be station in the city. I even recognized one of the females, Yuma, Issei's supposed girlfriend and murderer.

Their upper body was left bare and they each had a large gaping hole piercing the middle of their chest, easily as wide as a fist. Around the holes, written in what appeared to be their own blood, were the words: BETRAYERS TO GOD'S WILL

There was no need to examine them to make sure if they were dead. Their open eyes were empty, void of any of signs of life and I could actually see the wall that they were hanging from through the hole in their body. And while I could be wrong, going by the lack of blood dripping down the wall, it looked like they were killed well before they were crucified.

I spun in place once again and examined every corner of the room to make sure that there was no one else in the room with me. While I was fairly sure that there was no one left alive in the building other than myself, I wasn't going to take any chances. I'm going have to search this place top to bottom.

I spotted a door behind off to the side on the same wall the fallen were on and approached it. It looked as good a place as any to start.

* * *

Almost half an hour later, I found myself standing in front of the corpses of the Fallen as I thought about the situation.

The church was as expected empty. While I did find a large basement that looked to have been set up for some kind of ritual that in itself wasn't too uncommon for a place like this and there was nothing else unusual about the place. No signs of a fight or struggle, no clues to what may have happened, there wasn't even any paper work or reports that would tell me what the fallen was up to before they got killed.

I examined the bodies before me one more time before I face palmed. This was gonna be mess.

I don't even want to think of how the Fallen Angels will respond when they find out that their entire branch in this city was wiped out. The only silver lining in this mess was that these guys were low ranked Canon fodder. A dime a dozen and expendable as far as the Fallen higher would consider and certainly not worth sparking a war over.

I may have felt bad for these guys if I hadn't known that they tried to murder an innocent teenaged kid just yesterday.

Still, that doesn't mean this won't cause problems.

Now the question remains, who could have done this?

It was impossible for Devils to have been done it. The guards would have prevented any other Devils from entering the City and neither Sona nor Gremory would have done something like this. Besides, unless the message was there to throw us off the trail, it looked like the killers were followers of God.

Exorcists? No, no matter how much they hate the Fallen, they would never desicrate a church with their corpses. Even the more extreme members of their order would have dragged the bodies outside the church before torturing them at the very least.

The Fallen Faction was naturally ruled out. Not only is every Fallen in the city currently hanging off the wall before me but they would have no reason to do this to one of their own, then destroy the Bounded Fields that protected their territory. If it was simple infighting they wouldn't have wanted outsiders to know about it.

Someone outside of the Three Factions? No, while it was faint I could still sense some lingering light magic radiating from the holes on their chest. That and the way the wound were cauterized indicated that they were pierced by light spears. As far as I know no one outside of the Heaven or Fallen Faction can create and use light spears, unless there was some kind of Sacred Gear I have never heard about. And presuming that the message is genuine then whoever did this wanted to punish the fallen for betraying God.

You know what, I give up. In the end finding the killers isn't even my job and even if I did find them I'm not sure if I should punish them or thank them. These fallen were anything but innocent after all.

For a moment a very worrisome thought hit me, what if someone caught me here in front of the group of dead Fallen and thought I did it? However I quickly dismiss the idea as I realized that there was no one in the city that can catch me in this moment. The fallen are gone, the Vatican were never here to begin with and all the other Devils are currently in school.

I laughed as the absurdity of the last thought hit me. Before I arrived here, the entire Devil faction of this city was repented by a group of inexperienced underaged High school students. Who the hell thought that was a good idea?

Anyway, I'm not sure what I should do next. I'm tempted to call in the guards but there is nothing else they can do here and it's not worth blowing their cover over. There was also the possibility that whoever did this did not know about them and if they didn't, then they'd make a useful trump card. No, the best thing for me to do was contact Serafall and let her decide what to do. That way I can wash my hands from the political side of this.

I turned around and began making way out of the Church but not before giving the dead Fallen one final look over my shoulder.

Well, at least it wasn't all bad. Now when I try to convince Sona to set up a Bounded Field over the School and improve the ones at her home, I'll actually have a genuine reason to give her.

* * *

The ringing of the lunch bell echoed down the walls of the staircase just as I set foot on the first step.

Well, so much for getting back in time for class. At least this way I don't have to try to explain myself to the teacher. It was a good thing that I didn't actually need to attend any of these classes to learn anything or at this rate I would have ended up having to repeat a year.

As I began climbing up the stairs up to the third floor, I thought about my recent discussion with Serafall. Communication between the human world and the Underworld had always been a fickle thing as the dimensional gap that separated the two worlds interfered with any form of magical communication. Until very recently it was hard to get messages across the void in a timely manner.

That was until technology advanced enough to fix the problem. Right now it was possible to send small bursts of electronic signals through the void to delivers short messages. It had to be very limited in size for it to work, so each dispatch had to be restricted to about 140 characters per message.

Yes, the human to Underworld primary form of communication is basically Twitter and Serafall and I had just basically just finished tweeting one another about the situation.

Long story short, it was decided that as long as it looks like no Devils were involved we'll take a hands off approached to the death of the Fallen. It was unlikely that Fallen Faction will appreciate us poking our nose in what was basically their business anyway.

She also decided to temporarily triple the amount guards patrolling the city border, at least until Fallen issue had been handled. The crows in the city were about gain a big boost in population in the upcoming days, so at least the bird watchers will be happy.

Reaching the third floor landing, I took a right turn and made my way towards the corridor that held the lockers to pick up my lunch. I was actually surprised to find out that they had lockers here as they were unpopular in many Japanese schools and my last one certainly didn't have one, but it looks like Sona had them installed as soon as she took over. It was good thing too or else I wouldn't have any place except my desk to store my stuff in.

Walking up to my new steel grey locker, I pulled out my key and unlocked it. After swinging the door open I took one look inside before instantly slamming it shut.

I took two full steps back and just stared at the now closed locker, not able to believe what I just saw. I just stared at it for several seconds and after seeing nothing happening, I hesitantly began to approach the locker once again.

Positioning my head right next to the edge of the locker's door, I quickly cracked it open just an inch, peered inside before slamming it shut again.

I placed my forehead on the cold metallic surface of the door as I felt a headache coming on. Really, why did these insane things keep happening to me? I mean after having traded my soul to a magic girl for a wish, walked into a Cthulhu ritual on my way to the bathroom and found out that Lucifer himself likes to dress his wife up in a French maid uniform, you'll think I'd be used to the insanity. But no, it just keeps surprising me.

Finally I stood back and swung my locker door wide open and asked the occupant, "Koneko, what are you doing?"

She swallowed her last mouthful of food she had been chewing before answering, "Eating"

"My food?"

She thought about it for a moment before nodding her head, "Yes."

"Why?"

"Tasty." She answered without hesitation, as if that would explain everything.

Koneko was sitting snugly inside of my locker, her cheeks covered with red sauce making her look so much like a child that I found it impossible to believe she was a teenager let alone a High school student. She had my open and now mostly empty lunchbox claps tightly in her hands. Even for her petite frame the locker was too small to hold her comfortably, she had to fold up her knees up to her chest and scrunch up like a ball to fit in – and if it wasn't the most adorable thing I've ever seen I might have been angry at her for stealing my lunch.

How the hell did she get in there anyway? The locker was locked from the outside and there is no way to open or close it from the inside. The only way I could think of her getting in was for her to teleport- oh dear she teleported directly into the locker didn't she? For food?

Seeing as how she was ignoring me in favor of searching for scraps inside of the lunchbox, I could believe it. I noticed my second lunchbox that she discarded beneath her legs. I had packed two boxed this morning in anticipation of Koneko joining me for lunch but it looks like I underestimated her appetite.

I looked down at my stomach as it let out a remarkably loud rumble. Not surprisingly really when you considered I had skipped breakfast this morning in addition to all of the work I had done. Koneko seemed to have noticed my hunger because I looked up to find her holding out a small strip of chicken out to me in her dainty little fingers.

"Share?" She looked so adorable when she said that with her head stilted slightly to the side that I couldn't help but laugh as I took a bite out of the offered food.

Still, that was nowhere near enough. "I'm still hungry." I muttered out sadly.

Koneko reach out with her soft little hands and began to gently pat my cheeks with a "There, there," as she apparently tried to console me. I couldn't even muster will to complain that she was the reason why I was going hungry.

You know, I just realized how unfair girls have it. If Rin had ever opened her locker and found me cramped inside with her lunch devoured I seriously doubted I would get off anywhere near as lightly as Koneko would.

I looked back down at my stomach as it let out another rumble. "If only my house wasn't so far away I could have snuck into my kitchen and cooked me another quick lunch, but if I did that I don't think I'll make it back to school in time. I'm gonna be enough trouble with Sona when she finds out I already skipped the entire morning classes, I don't even want to imagine what she'll do if I'm late for the afternoon ones as well." Seriously, Sona may let me get away with a lot of things she wouldn't allow anyone outside of her family to but when it comes to school matter, I don't she'll treat me any different from any other student.

"I guess I'll just have to eat from the canteen but I heard their food has always been kind of bland. It that true Koneko?" I asked her but she didn't reply, "Koneko?

I looked up to find that Koneko wasn't listening. She was sitting as straight up as she could in her the tiny locker as she stared blankly ahead. Slowly, almost mechanically, she turned her head to towards me. Her eyes, when she instantly locked with mine, looked like they were almost gleaming with their own inner light as she quietly asked me, "Kitchen?"

* * *

Koneko's eye tracked the food as I flipped them into the air and back into the firing pan.

I always knew that Kuoh Academy was a prestigious school, not only for the quality of their education but also for the quality of their facilities. You only have to take one look at the fountain that they had in the middle of the main courtyard or the actual school that could have easily been mistaken for a university building to know that. It's not really surprising when you realized that the entire academy is owned and funded by Devils.

…you know, now that I think about it that kind of scary. I mean the education of this city's children is literally being provided by the Devil. If any of the students here complain to their parents that going to school is like going to hell they're actually not too far off the mark.

But anyway, even though I knew about Kuoh's reputation, I don't thing I ever truly appreciated it until I entered the Cooking Club's Kitchen. It was only when I set my eyes upon the state of the art equipment filled the highest quality tools and first class freshly picked ingredients did I finally begin to believe in love at first sight.

Why didn't they ever have a cooking club like this in my old school?

To make things even better, none of the club members minded sharing their Kitchen. Whether that was due to me being a fellow cook or Koneko's pleading stare I'm not too sure but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it turned out that Koneko was a frequent visitor here despite her not being a member.

Right now I was cooking a quick meal of Stir fired vegetable and tofu. The cooking club still hand some leftover baked tofu from yesterday so it wouldn't take me too long to cook. The quality of the ingredients and a little bit of subtle reinforcement mixed in will guarantee a great meal. Of course I had to cook for both Koneko and myself, so I made sure to make enough food to feed five just in case.

Seeing the way she was drooling slightly as her eyes never left the food for a moment, I believe that I made the right choose. That she was still that hungry after already eating both lunchboxes that I prepared however was surprising. Seriously where did all that food go?

Still watching her gaze so longing at my food made me crack out a smile. Using my cooking chopsticks, I picked up a piece of tofu from the frying pan and tossed it towards her in a high arc. Her eyes turned upwards as they tracked the tofu and when it got close to her she open her mouth and caught it out of the air like a dog.

A couple of the cooking club members in the other side of the room broke out in applause and cheers for Koneko when they saw her little performance. Apparently Koneko's a lot more popular in this school than I first thought.

As I went back to focusing on my cooking, I realized that I had the perfect opportunity to clear up a few things. "Hey Koneko," I asked while I stirred the food, "I heard Issei was officially made a part of Rias's Peerage. Is it true that he only ended up having Twice Critical?"

She didn't answer me but I caught her nodding out of the corner of my eye

While I didn't show it in the outside, I was internally doing a little jiggle at the thought of Gremory's face when she found out. Still, I knew that Koneko was close to her so I didn't let any of what I feeling show on my face.

"Strange though, I thought that you smelt a Dragon on him." I instantly realized how what I said may have been taken as an acquisition and quickly clarified myself. "Not that I'm claiming that you made a mistake or anything but did you guys figure out why he didn't have the Boosted Gear?"

Koneko shook her but crinkled her nose as she said, "Dragon, he still smells like one. But different from his Sacred Gear."

I raised an eyebrow at that. Huh, so Issei has the scent of two different Dragons on him. That was…unheard of to say the least. A person can only every have one Sacred Gear, period. While it's unconfirmed, there has been reports that when Azazel attempted to bond two Sacred Gears on a single person as part of his experiments. In each and every experiment has resulted on the test subject's immediate demise.

While it's possible that the reports were false as we don't have any reliable source of information in the Fallen Faction, it does fit with what we already know of Sacred Gears as there has never been a case of a single wielder bearing two of them.

And you can't gain a scent of Dragon simply by being near a one. Nekomata and other beings with a strong sense of smell can easily differentiate from a person's own scent and having someone's scent clinging to them.

No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't think of a single explanation to concerning Issei. Oh well, just another mystery in what was becoming a day full of mysteries. I decided to leave it alone for now as the mystery would soon solve itself with or without my involvement. Albion has long since awakened, it was only a matter of time for Ddraig to make his appearance as well.

I turned back my attention back onto my cooking. Today was the day that I promised to help train Sona and her Peerage, and I'm gonna need a full stomach if I wanted to do a good job of it.

* * *

The courtyard was completely pitch-black. The sun has long since set and the flood-lights that were stationed overhead were turned off. The school's high walls blocked of any light from any of the surrounding buildings, leaving the place far too dark for anyone to navigate though.

Well, any human anyway. Devils were a completely different matter. We had no problem seeing in the dark.

It was still ten minutes to seven when I left the gymnasium and made my way to the courtyard, yet I still spotted a group of figures already waiting there for me. It didn't come as much of surprise for me that Sona and her Peerage were not only punctual but early as well.

I easily spotted Sona from where she stood with Tsubaki at the head of the group and walked up her. She had long since spotted me approaching and waited until I had arrived before she started speaking.

"Shirou, you're here early." She said with approval.

"I could say the same to you." I looked over the group and sure enough counted eight of them. The entire Student Counsel were all here. "While I'm not surprised to see you here on time and early, I didn't expect the same from the rest of your Peerage."

"Of course they would be. As members of the Student Council and my Peerage they represent both the school and myself. It is only natural that they would never dare to be late for anything – _Right_?" Somehow, even though we were in the dark with no source of light, her glasses flashed ominously when she adjusted them.

"YES, KAICHOU!" They all stiffened in place and yelled out as one in reply to her question. Even Tsubaki joined in, all of them looking vaguely terrified.

I had a feeling that there is a story behind that, one I'm not quite sure I wanted to know. Luckily that can wait for another time, for now it was time to train.

"Good. Now that you're here Shirou we can begin our regular-"

"Actually," I interrupted her, "I was hoping if you will allow me to test your Peerage one at a time before we do anything else."

She looked surprised at that, so I explained. "I don't need to see how you guys train or fight as a group because I know that they'll excel in that. Let's face it, when it comes to group combat and coordination that is an area that you greatly surpass me at. It's no exaggeration to say I have more to learn from you, than you from me in that particular field."

Sona showed no hint of pride or surprise at my comment; she merely nodded along with my assessment. Oh, so despite not having any delusion of grander when it comes to her strengths like so many of her fellow Devils, she doesn't lack any confidence in them either. That's a surprise. For Devil who's bears the Sin of Pride she shows remarkable little arrogance in her skill, just pure analytically assessment. I wonder if she was always like this or Serafall had something to do with it.

…No, Serafall definitely had something to with it. I'm sure of it, but I'm not gonna ask Sona what her sister put her through. There are somethings we are better off not knowing, usually anything involving Serafall is something that is better left lost and forgotten.

"I'm not here to help you fight as a team, I'm here to help you fight as individuals." I continued, "That is why I want to test your Peerage one at a time so I can examine their individual strength and weakness to know what I need to train them on."

She looked at me over her rims, examining me carefully before nodding slowly, almost hesitantly, in agreement. "Alright, if you feel it's necessary I can accept that. Do you have anything in mind?"

I smiled, "As a matter of fact I do." I jerked a thumb over my shoulder, "I already set up the gymnasium beforehand. Everything's ready to go, I just need my first examinee and we'll being."

Sona looked towards the gymnasium before turning back to me. "You have given this a lot of thought haven't you Shirou?" She adjusted her glass as she took a moment to think about it, "Very well. In that case, allow me to go first."

"Nope," I shook my head," sorry Sona but you're going to be last. You'll understand when it's all over and done, but for this to work you need to be the final one to take this little test of mine."

She glared up to at me, finally haven reached the limit of her patience. "The more I get to know you Shirou, the more you remind me of my sister." She shook her head and relented, "Fine, but this better be worth it in the end."

"It will I promise." I assured her before turning towards the rest of the Peerage. I deliberately looked over them even though I already knew who I was going to choose, "So, who wants to go first?" I asked.

Before Sona had a chance to select a member, someone spoke out. "I'll go," Saji walked forward with a cocky grin in his face, "after hearing so many rumors about you, I want to see if any of it is true."

I shook my head, "Sorry Saji, but Tsubaki is going first." I nodded to the calm and so far silent girl, "She's the Queen and it is the Queen who leads when the King cannot. But since you're so eager, you can go after her."

Saji halted in his tracks before nodding albeit reluctantly. "Follow me," I told Tsubaki before turning around and making my way to the Gymnasium.

I heard some hushed comments behind me, most likely Sona giving Tsubaki some kind of advice or encouragement, before I heard the sound of footsteps trailing after me.

* * *

Unlike the outside, the interior of the gym was brightly lit. While Devils can see in the dark just fine, even better than in the daylight, they are just as blind as anyone else in absolute darkness. Sight needs some light to function after all and since I had the curtains drawn, there was no light coming in from the outside.

The gymnasium was more or less a large basketball court. One side of the room was a large stage that was mostly used for events, announcements or plays. Other than that, the place was clear of any obstacles or obstruction, giving us a wide open place to fight in.

Once I reached the center of the court, I tuned and face Tsubaki. As usual she had a calm and serious expression on her face, not too dissimilar from Sona's. "Ok, Tsubaki this is basically going to be a combat test. Do you have a weapon with you?" I asked after realizing too late that she wasn't carrying her Naginata with her.

Much to my surprise she simply nodded and held out her hand to her right. In the air before her hand, a magic circle bearing the Sitri clan design appeared. The outer half of the circle began to spin clockwise, while the inner half began to spin in the opposing direction. As the blue light of the magic circle began to brighten, a long wooded shaft emerged from the heart of the circle.

Before long, the entire Naginata was drawn out of the circle before falling into Tsubaki's outstretched hand. Its job completed, Tsubaki dismissed the circle and it soon faded away like it was never there.

…you know, sometimes I forget they can do that. Teleportation; in my world that would have fallen into the realm of True magic, of Sorcery. A class of magic that is impossible to be replicated with science.

I know Magus back home that would have dedicated their entire life for that type of magic. I know some Magus families that would willingly and gleefully sacrifice their first born child to learn its secrets. And Devils as young as preschoolers here can cast these types of spells.

Sometimes I can't help but hate them, just a little bit, for the ease they can wield magic. As a human, I had to withstand an enormous amount of pain just to open my circuits so I would be able to cast so much as a single spell. As a Magus, I had to risk my life almost every time I practiced my craft, knowing that if I screwed up I may end up dying. Yet these Devils can use magic as easily as they can breathe.

Oh well, no point complaining about what you can't change. Besides, I'm a Devil too now so it's not like I have a right to complain anymore.

I raised my right hand and began tracing a weapon. After a few moments I felt the familiar and comfortable weight of a sword in my hand. It was a standard European blade, one which fit perfectly into one hand. It wasn't impressive to look at, just a simple steel-grey sword with a leather hilt. And compared to many of my other swords, it wasn't anything special.

It's not even a Noble Phantasm, just a very well made if mostly mundane sword. Though it did have some form of magical protections cast on it that, ones that prevented the steel from rusting and the edge from dulling. However, what made the sword special were its former owners. The sword was passed down from warrior to warrior for dozens of generations, many of whom were excellent swordsmen coming from many different styles. In most people's hands it would have been nothing but a good quality sword, in mine however it became something more, as the skills of all its previous wielders were now mine to use.

I didn't want to use Noble Phantasm in this fight, not after seeing how badly it rattled them when I did it in the Council room. Besides, I wanted them to think that they had a chance to win, at least at first anyway.

I held out my sword and took a proper stance.

"The rule of the fight is simple, keep going until you have nothing left to give. Don't worry about harming me or making a racket. I set up a Bounded Field earlier that will prevent all sounds from escaping the gymnasium and I already have made preparations in case of injures. And if worse comes to worst I have a vial of Phoenix Tear's ready for use."

Tsubaki walked until she was about six meters away from me before she stopped and took a proper stance.

I waited for a few seconds to make sure she was ready, before I called out the signal to begin. "_Hajime."_

* * *

I swayed back as the blade of the naginata soared past my head, then side stepped the butt of the weapon as Tsubaki twisted the weapon around, using the momentum of her first swing to carry the attack through . Even as she missed she didn't stop the swing but instead flowed with the attack to make a third swing, this time with the blade again, although it's purpose wasn't so much to hit me as it was to keep me away as she returned back to proper stance.

It was actually pretty impressive sight. Ever move was textbook perfect. Each attack flowing into next then next, creating what appeared to be a never ending stream of strikes.

She never lost her cool either. Even though it had been almost five minutes since the start of the fight and she hadn't landed a single blow on me, her form never wavered. She kept clam and cool, not allowing her frustration to cloud her judgment, and continued her precise and well controlled attacks.

I had to admit, she was doing better than I thought she would. Most would have long lost their composure after missing so many times and would become more reckless in attacking until they end up overextending themselves.

Frankly, it was almost unfair of me to fight someone with a bladed weapon. In just one glance, I can read her naginata's history. I can see every strike or swing she had ever thrown with that weapon. I know all of her tricks, her tells and all of the minute details of her style.

Just from the slight way she sifted her toes of her back foot slightly, to better grip the ground with, I knew that she will attempting a thrust next which I promptly deflected with the side of my blade as I danced around her.

However the purpose of this fight wasn't to be fair, it was to learn about her and help her grow stronger. And from the history written into the very bone of her naginata, I learned more about Tsubaki as a person that I would have in year by any other method.

Diligence. If there was one word that would describe Tsubaki as a person it would be that. Every morning before breakfast and every night after dinar, without fail she would take her naginata to the backyard of house and train. One thousand swings followed by a thousand thrusts, never skipping so much as a single strike and added a dozen more for each time her form slipped. When she finished, she would spend the next thirty minutes going over the Kata of her style, making sure each set was done perfectly before going onto the next. And when it was finally done, she would go take a shower and start all over the next day.

In the one year, nine months and twelve days since she was given that naginata, she had never skipped so much as a single day of practice. Diligence, it describes her to a tee.

Instead of sidestepping the blow like she expected me to, I blocked it and rammed into her. This caused her to lose her balance, enabling to switch positions with her, thus preventing her from successfully trapping in the corner.

It wasn't a glamorous form of training but it didn't need to be. In the end nothing beats basic training. The reason why someone else's sword swing is faster than yours is because for each one hundred swings you did in practice, he did a thousand.

There are no short-cuts when it comes to real skill. If you throw aside all strategy, tactics and luck, when all things are equal the one who trained the most will always emerge as the winner. It was as simple as that. That was how one developed their skills. That was how the weak become the strong. In that regard, there was nothing I could teach her.

It was a good thing then that I wasn't planning to. I don't know what they expected when I offered to train them, but if they thought I had some kind of ancient or mystical training program set up that will magically boost their skill level like in one of those Magic Girl anime's Serafall made me watch then they're sadly mistaken.

What I came here to do wasn't to help improve in their combat skills. I was here to make sure that they can properly apply those skills.

The problem with training is that you're taught to restrain yourself. After all, when you practice your techniques with a partner or in a spar, you don't want harm to them. When you practice an arm lock that can break an opponent's arm you're taught to stop before breaking it. So every time you practice you automatically stop yourself before completing the move.

When you're taught how to gouge an enemy's eyes out, you always stop short of actually touching the eyes. Even when sparing in armour and _shinais_, you're taught to never fight dirty, to follow rules of courtesy. You're taught to never strike an enemy when their down, when that should be the _best_ time strike them.

In short, you train your instincts to not harm your opponent.

This will cause your instincts to be blunted. In a real fight when you won't have time to think, that will get you killed, as all you'll have are instincts.

Take Tsubaki's for example. I raised my arm and blocked the strike with the back of my empty left hand. The room echoed with the sound of the ringing of metal as the naginata was halted in place, leaving my hand completely unharmed.

"!", for the first time Tsubaki expression has shifted away from the clam analytical look she was wearing since the fight started. She was staring at the hand that blocked the naked blade of her naginata wide eyes, disbelief clearly written on her face, clearly not believing that my body was hard enough to block her attack so easily.

She was right to disbelieve because there is no way my body, even with the boosted defense of a Queen, was capable of halting her attack and emerged without so much as a scratch to show for it.

It wasn't that Tsubaki lacked the strength to break through my defense; it was that she wasn't applying that strength. That was the problem with training, when the time for a real fight comes you have trouble adjusting. You teach yourself not to swing in full power in a spar and that carries on to the real fights. You can't just remove all the mental restraints you placed on yourself as if they were cloths.

Since the very beginning of a fight she was always aware that she was fighting with a real blade not a practice one. Something that cut flesh and sever limbs, and a part of her mind was always careful not to cut me with it. Despite her perfect form, there was a lack of power behind her strikes. A clear fear of what will happen if her attack connects.

I twisted my hand and griped the blade of the naginata before pulling her towards me. Still shocked over the ease I blocked her strike she was easily pulled of balanced and was unable to react in time to block my knee from slamming into her stomach.

Spittle flew out of her mouth as she collapsed onto her knee, breaking into a coughing fit as she relinquished her hold on the weapon. I spun her naginata around until I held it by its shaft and swung it over my shoulder.

"Did you know," I began in conversational tone, as if didn't have girl clutching her stomach in agony sitting by my feet, "that in a real fight between a skilled street fighter and a skilled professional martial artists, the street fighter has a much more likelier chance of winning despite being far less skilled."

Finally having gotten her coughing under control she peered up at me with confusion evident on her face.

"You see it's quite simple," I continued, "the martial artist for all his skills has no idea how to apply those skills in a real fight. While the street fighter knows how to effectively apply his admittedly far more limited skills into a fight."

I swung the naginata around and I held it out to her. "Allow me to explain what I'm doing here Tsubaki. I'm not her to train your skills but I'm here to teach you how to fight. How to apply those very skills you've cultivated for years in a way that can actually save your life when the time comes. In other words, I'm here to teach you what a real fight is, one where you have to kill or be killed." I nodded towards the naginata. "Now, take it and get up."

She looked up at me hesitantly before she reached out for her weapon and stood up.

The moment she took a proper stance I reinforced my limbs to the limit, dashed forward and aimed a solid front kick right into the middle of the naginata. The wooden shaft splintered and collapsed under the force of the kick and my foot tore right through until it slammed right into the middle of her chest.

Unlike last time she didn't simply collapse but instead went soaring backwards, tumbling several times onto the wooded surface of the court, until she finally skidded to stop after traveling halfway across the gymnasium.

She tried to push herself upward with her hand but collapsed almost immediately as she coughed out a glob of blood onto the floor.

I lowered my foot and slowly began approaching her, all the while making sure to keep an impassive look as my face, as if I wasn't cringing on the inside at what I had to do

It's sad, but words are rarely enough to get the point across, not with this kind of lesson. Pain has always been a great teacher and an equally great motivator. There is nothing better than pain that can simultaneously remind you that you're alive and how easily that life can end.

Right now that's exactly what I wanted from her. To make her realize that fighting was not a game. That it wasn't a tool to be used on some Rating Game match, but a weapon that to be used to stave away her death.

I stopped three paces away from her and waited for her to look at me. It took her a while, as she had trouble gathering her breath as her body kept shuddering with coughs, but eventually she did. She lifted her gaze to look up at me, eye shinning with unshed tears and drops of blood staining her lips crimson.

"Why didn't you volunteer?" I asked

She looked so utterly perplexed by my question that I'm sure she had no idea what I was talking about.

"When I asked Sona's Peerage for someone to take the test first, why didn't you volunteer?" I clarified. "Sona wanted to go first because she knew she needed to lead the rest of the Peerage. By watching her go unhesitantly forward the others would be encouraged by her actions. You however, did no such thing. You were too passive, only waiting for instructions from your King rather than acting on your own. Even Saji, for all his apparent bravado, just wanted to protect the other girls in the Peerage in his own way because he saw it as his duty as the only guy of the group. You on the other hand sat back and did nothing until you were ordered to.

"You need to understand Tsubaki, that you are not just any ordinary Peerage member. You are the Queen, and the Queen leads when the King cannot. Imagine if you will, how much better the others waiting outside would have felt if you had stepped up to the plate when I asked for volunteers rather than having been forced to go first?

"Sona, due to her obsession with Rating Games, is under the delusion that she need not worry who would lead her Peerage when she falls. That the battle is over once she leave the battlefield but life simply does not work like that. In war, the battle simply does not end when the King falls. The soldiers still live on and they'll still fight as long they have someone to lead them.

"That is the true purpose of the Queen. Not to simply be an extension of the King's will that mindlessly obeys every order but someone to lead the others when the King cannot." I pointed my blade towards her, "Do you understand Shinra Tsubaki?"

I locked my eyes onto hers, trying to convey the seriousness of my question. She stared back wordlessly for a moment, before opening her mouth to answer. Unfortunately instead of words, she vomited out a huge stream of blood instead before falling into another coughing fit.

_Ok_~, that did not go exactly how I planned. So much for my motivational speech. Going by how much blood she's coughing out I must have punctured a lung when I broke her ribs. Looks like a kicked her a little bit harder than I planned to. Luckily, I came prepared.

"Asia," I called out towards the stage, "you can come out now. I could use your help here."

Asia appeared from behind the curtains of the stage before hopping off the stage and calmly made her way over. She was another T-shirt, this time with the caption 'I'm a little Devil' with a Devil's hanging off the end of the 'L' in Devil. I was a little surprised to see that she didn't look worried or scared as she approached us, but instead had an intrigued look on her face as if she was trying to figure out some kind of puzzle.

When she got here she immediately kneeled next to Tsubaki, completely disregarding the blood spattering the ground, and began healing her using the power of Twilight Healing.

As she did that I turned back to Tsubaki and tried to complete my point.

"Tsubaki, I'll leave you with a choice." I waved a hand towards the stage. "There is a room behind the stage where you can rest in. If at any time you want to, you can quit this little test of mine and go to that room and relax. I'll not do anything to stop you or discourage you.

"Or you can continue this test. And over the next twenty minutes or so I'll beat you black and blue, break your bones over and over again, and leave you in agony that you have never felt the like before.

"But in exchange you'll learn how to fight, how to carry on fighting even with a broken body, how to apply those hard earned skills of yours in a real battle. Because I promise you this, one day you'll find yourself in a situation just like this one. Where you'll face an enemy who'll crush your face into the dirt, shatter the bones in your bones like twigs and dye the ground red with your blood. The only difference between then and now is that you won't be alone.

"You'll have the rest of your Peerage, your comrade and friends beside you, so you will not be able to run away like you can today, not without leaving them behind. And I will not insult you by even implying that you'll willingly abandon them. But make no mistake, it will not matter whether you choose to stay and fight or simply run away. Not as you are now, against that kind of enemy, your sacrifice won't make a damn against him because he will kill you and your Peerage without the slightest hesitation." I did not lie, because if _he_ was truly coming and I failed to stop him, then that was exactly what was going to happen.

"Because just like today, you'll hold back. Your training will make you pull your blows without conscious thought or will. Cuts that should have been able to slice my hand in two will fail to even pierce skin because you've been trained to restrain yourself all too well.

"That is why, I will teach you. I will teach you how to cut without hesitation, to strike without restraint so that when the time comes you'll be able to fight back, you'll be able to win."

By this time Asia had finished healing Tsubaki and had already began to back away.

Placing her hands beneath her, Tsubaki pushed herself onto her feet. She wobbled for a second before she found her balance. She bounced a couple of times on the tip of her toes before she assumed a stance. Not even bother to pick up her broken weapon she simply took a basic boxing stance, hands held close to her head and leading with her left foot and shoulder.

"Emiya," She stated, "You talk too damn much."

I blinked owlishly at her, not expecting her to say that, before exploded out in laughter. Yeah, I admit it. I always sucked at speeches. There is a reason why Archer never had the 'Charisma' as a Personal Skill after all.

Still, that she was willing to fight me unarmed after all that was something that even impressed me. Looks like this one has steel in her after all. She may not have been strong, for now at least, but if all Queens are like her than perhaps I will no longer find bearing the title of Queen so shameful anymore.

Spirit like that is worth rewarding. After all I was the one who destroyed her old weapon, it was only right that I be the one to replace it. And I had just the perfect weapon for her.

"Fine but I can't allow you to fight me unarmed, not when the entire point is to learn to properly apply your fighting skills." I held out my left hand to catch the newly traced weapon before thrusting it point first at her feet. "It'd may not be a naginata but I think you'll be more than pleased once you have mastered it. Think of it as a replacement for breaking your last weapon."

In the ground between us was a Chinese halberd. It had a spear tip as a head with a single crescent-moon shaped blade attached to the side of the shaft. It was long, almost two meters in length with had a steel counterweight attached to the butt of the spear. While most of the spear's shaft was colored black it had a patch of gold next to the crescent blade were a painted leather cloth was attached.

While Tsubaki will not be able to access the full power of this particular Noble Phantasm, its passive abilities will still make it an incredibly powerful weapon for her to use. If she can master it that is.

"That weapon is unique, you'll never be able to find another like it in the world but I'll tell you about its characteristics later. For now it is time for us to continue our fight." I indicated with my sword for her to pick up the halberd, when I noticed her staring at the weapon with awe. After a few moment of hesitation she reached out and pulled the weapon out of the ground, marveling at it all the while.

It was good thing that she was a Queen or else she would have had a lot more trouble lifting the heavy weapon as easily as she did. As it was I doubted that any other class would have the strength and speed needed to properly wield the weapon.

"You can admire it later," I told her when it looked she had forgotten about me. I felt a small part of myself preen in pride at the look of reverence she was giving one of my blades. However I quickly shoved that part away for now and motioned her to assume her stance which she promptly did.

"Allow me to remind you Shinra Tsubaki, that after I'm done with you it'll be your comrades who will be tested next. And after them will be your King. So if you want to stop me or at least weaken me enough to lessen their burden even a little bit, then strike me down.

"Without hesitation, without restraint, you must strike me as if you're willing to kill me or else you won't leave so much as a mark on me. Now, will you prove yourself worthy of holding the same title as me, oh Queen of the Sitri?"

Once I saw she was ready I said, "Let us begin then,

"_Hajime!"_

* * *

The punch went wide, the momentum pulling Saji forward as I easily side-stepped him and the blow. It was a messy punch, well telegraphed and with sloppy technique. It was painfully clear that he didn't much proper hand to hand training. I didn't even need to trace any of my swords for this fight despite his promotion to Queen.

Still, it had a lot of power behind the swing. I was actually impressed. I thought he would be the one that need the most help from my lesson, seeing as he was the newest to the Peerage, but it looks like it'll end up with him needing it the least.

True, his form was absolute crap but his instincts were remarkable spot on. He put his entire weight behind each punch and kept on fighting no matter how many times I hit him. Unlike Tsubaki who paused whenever she went down, Saji rolled and stood up right away as if he was expecting a kick to head if he didn't move fast enough.

Seeing how he moves, it's clear he'd had more than his share of fights. In many ways he's the complete opposite of Tsubaki. No skill or technique but he knows how to use what little he has well. He doesn't need to learn how to hold back because he was never properly taught how to fight in the first place but instead scraped what little he knows in actual fights.

I looked down at the lizard like Sacred Gear that was protruding out of his left hand. The Absorption Line, a Sacred Gear containing a fifth of Vritra's, one of the five great Dragon Kings, soul.

When I first heard of it I was curious how its wielder will behave. It is well known that a Sacred Gear reflects their wielder's personality. So what does it mean for someone to have a broken sacred gear? I was actually worried that whoever was matched with it would be broken, demented even. After all, what kind of mind would be matched with a divided soul?

But it looks like my assumption was wrong. It's clear that in some way, even divided, a Dragon's still a Dragon.

Saji rolled across the court's floor, bleeding off the momentum of my kick, before jumping back to his feet. He rubbed blood away from split lips with the cuffs of his sleeve before charging back at me, "You got to do better than that if you want to take me down, Aniki!"

I didn't bother raising my hands. I just ducked under the blow while simultaneously kicking at his legs, causing him to tumble forward but he was able to maintain his balance, if barely.

"Why do you keep calling me that?" That's another thing; he has been calling me Aniki the entire fight.

"What, 'Aniki'?" He asked just before charging me again.

"Yeah that." This time I caught his punch while twisting around and using his own momentum to throw him over my shoulder. He hit the ground rather harshly, clearly not knowing how to land and roll when thrown, but he soon got back to his feet. Though he was favoring his right arm now.

"Well," He stopped attacking as he talked, obviously trying to use the opportunity to rest, "from what I heard, because of your position as Queen to Kaichou's sister, it kind of makes you her brother right?"

"Well, yeah. Sure let's go with that." It wasn't quite like that but I didn't bother to contradict him.

"Then I figure I better get in the practice. You see," He stood up straight and jerked a thump at his chest as he declared, "I'm in love with Kaichou."

_Oh,_ well looks like little Sona has an admirer.

"You see, Aniki. I have a dream, one that I will accomplish no matter what. And that dream is," He point straight up into the sky as he declared to the world with pride, "to knock Kaichou up –"

A fist appeared out of nowhere and slammed into Saji's face before he had a chance to finish his sentence, sending him cartwheeling three times in the air before slamming into the far wall of the gym and bouncing off it. He crashed into the concrete wall with so much force it actually left a small crater in it.

I stared, confused as to what happened until I looked down to find my hand extended outward while curled into a fist. It was only then that I realized that I was the one who punched him.

Asia jumps off the stage and calmly walks over to Saji's unmoving form, before crouching down and poking him a few times.

"Shirou," She tells me calmly, "I think you broke his neck." Then she reaches out, clasps his head in both of his hand before twisting it back in place with a sickening crunch that even made my stomach turn. She then places a palm on his neck which began glowing with the green light of Twilight healing.

"Umm…Asia," I asked, feeling more than little nervous for some reason, "aren't you even a little bit scared. I mean you just twisted Saji's broken neck back in place."

"Nahh, I've dealt with a lot worse accidents than this during my time as a Holy Maiden." She replied with a fond smile as she lost herself in memories. "I've had to deal with broken bones, severed limbs and I even help with child births. And trust me the there is nothing more horrifying than seeing a baby pushed out of a vagina. There was even that one time where I had to heal a person with a cracked skull. I could literally see into his brain and everything. We even found small pieces of his brain that we had to squeeze back into this skull before I healed him. That was actually rather fun." She finished, flashing me a bright smile.

OK, its official…Asia is _scary_.

"So," I began, deciding to ignore what I just heard, "any chance of Saji continuing?"

"Sorry Shirou but even with me here, a broken neck isn't something that you can just shrug off. He'll probably be out for a couple of more hours."

I shrugged, not really feeling any disappointment at that. After what he said, I had lost all urge to help train him. Looks like my theory that a Sacred Gear with a broken soul latching into someone that was also a bit broken was right after all. Hopefully the blow to his head will cause some memory loss and he'll forget that dream of his.

Or at the very least he'll forget that I broke his neck. I never want to see Sona's reaction if she ever finds out.

* * *

_Really, they were impressive_

The blue haired tom-boy, Tsubasa, spat a mouthful of blood from where she was kneeling on the floor before looking up at me. "Dude, someone has really got to introduce you to Akeno," she quibbled with a tired little smirk, "I have a feeling you two will get along great."

"Giving up?" I asked as I eyed her broken right arm.

"And end the fun already? Nahh, I love fighting dirty." She smiled up at me, revealing teeth that were painted red with her blood. The shield attached to her left arm erupted in blue flames, painting one side of her face an azure blue, "And there is nothing dirtier than fighting _in your own blood_." She roared as she charged

_No matter what I did they kept standing up_

Even as she collapsed onto the floor, her broken leg unable to support her weight any longer, she didn't make a sound. Her face remained stoic, giving her an almost bored look, as it did throughout the entire fight.

The raven haired Bishop, Momo, spoke for the first time since she set foot in the gym. "Did you put Gen-chan through this as well?" Even as she asked the question, I couldn't detect so much as a hint of emotion on her face.

In reply I simply pointed my swords towards the small crater in the wall where I smashed Saji into.

Her eyes linger at the crater for a long moment before her turned and faced me. Then she smiled – it wasn't a pretty thing

Her face was cast in flickering yellow light as lighting erupted from her hands, crackling between her fingers before she threw it at me.

_Uncaring for their own wounds, only that of their comrades, they willingly threw themselves in harm's way to protect one another._

The pigtailed Knight smiled and laughed as we clashed our blades, as if she wasn't aware of the dozens of bleeding cuts that were gradually soaking her uniform in blood.

"You know Senpai," Tomoe chirped after backing away from out latest clash, which left another bleeding cut on her cheek, "I'm the mood maker of the group. That's why I always have to be smiling, because if I'm sad who will cheer the others up?"

She tilted her head while tapping her chin with a finger, "But~, if none of them are here watching than I don't have reason to keep smiling, do I?" Her grin seemed to stretch almost painfully wide.

"Here's a piece of advice for you Senpai. You have to always be careful around people who are always smiling. After all," like a candle being blow out her smile extinguished, leaving behind a cold and hard face that resembled nothing like the cheerful looking girl that was there a second ago, "you can never tell what their thinking behind that smile of theirs."

She charged at me, blade screeching overhead from the speed of her swing.

_And if one shows fear or hesitation – I need but mention that their comrades would be next after them, then the fire will reignite in their eyes._

At mentioning the fate of the Pawn and her king should she fall, the final Bishop Reya's slow retreat was reversed as she charged at me.

Recklessly casting spell after spell as I was forced to dodge a rain of sharped hails and blades of howling winds. All the while she completely ignored my attacks, even as they cut deep into her flesh, in her efforts to get me.

_If I broke their bones, they shrug it off and kept attacking until they simply had nothing left to give._

The sound of steel tapping on wood echoed throughout the gymnasium as Ruruko danced and skipped in those metallic boots of hers, her Twin-tailed hair trailing after her like streamers. Her steps were so fast that the tapping sounded like rain falling on a window.

Sweat poured down the Pawn's face, her breath coming out it short pants but she refused to slow down. Too tired to speak, she instead glared at me as she increased her speed yet again. Paying no mind to the way her movement grounded the bones of her broken shoulder together, she danced around me, looking for an opening to exploit.

_I could not help but like these children._

_I'll give Sona one thing, despite my initial misgiving she has chosen a good Peerage._

* * *

I heard Sona enter the Gymnasiums from behind me. I had Asia cast a basic illusion over the basketball court, hiding all damage and blood stains. It was a simple thing, something that even a Low-Class can dispel with ease. That Sona didn't notice it yet just went to show how out if it with worry over her Peerage she was.

"Did you figure out why I left you for last?" I asked as I turned to face her, not waiting for her to answer. "How did it feel Sona, to see your Peerage disappear one by one before you? How did you feel to be unable to think or formulate a single plan with that incredible mind of yours, when you had no information or data to work with? How did it feel to know that all your plans and all of your tactics could not work when you were not there to hold your Peerage's hand and guide them?"

"Shirou," she stated calmly after she stopped a couple of paces in front of me, "where are they?"

I ignored her question as I began walking around her, "Now that you're alone without your Peerage, do you have any cards to play in your deck? In chess, you need pieces to set up a trap, to co-ordinate a defense or even mount an attack. So with that chess mindset of yours, what can you possible do alone?"

I spread my hands out wide and indicated the wide open court of the gymnasium. "The terrain of this battlefield is flat and empty so you can't use it to your advantage, particularly since I was the one who set the place up and know it better than you do. There is no weather, no possible outside interference that you can twist to your advantage. In this battlefield tactics and strategies won't work, all you can really do is rely on your own skill. Do you think that will be enough for you to win?" I halted right in front of her.

"Enough of these games, Shirou." She told me calmly before she repeated her question. "Where are they?

"Beat me and find out."

"TELL ME WHERE THEY ARE!" She yelled, her mask finally slipping to show the worry she was so desperately trying to hide.

Instead of answering I forcefully dispelled the illusion using my own magic. All around us the signs of battle appeared. They court was a mess, small and large craters littering the floors and walls. Gash and cuts from swords coated the floor. Scorch marks from flames and lighting spells marked the walls. Footprints imprinted into the wood of the basketball court from Ruruko's metallic boots. But most of all, there was blood.

Lots and lots of blood.

Before Sona could begin to truly panic, I calmed her. "They're fine," I pointed towards Asia who stood in the middle of the stage, not bothering to hide this time, "my bishop Asia is the wielder of the Twilight Healing. She healed them all completely. I promise you, other than being completely exhausted they are completely unharmed."

The relief hit Sona so strongly that swayed in place and I actually thought that she was going to collapse for a moment.

"Why?" While it was clear she was trying to sound angry, it was equally apparent that she was simply too tired to muster any real emotion.

"Did you really think that Serafall sent me here on a whim?" I answered her question with another question. "Since the very second I was reincarnated into a Devil, she latched onto me, refusing to leave my side for more than a few hours at a time and even then reluctantly. Yet she suddenly sends me so far away that I was literally in a different world from her, didn't you find this in anyway strange?"

"War is coming Sona," I cut her off before she could answer. I nodded when her face paled dramatically at the news. Good, at least she knows to take this seriously, "She did not want me to let you know but I think you deserve to. War is coming, and I was sent here to try to stop it. Yet even if I succeed here in every way it will not be enough to stop it from coming but will simply delay its arrival.

"There are too many other fires to put out, to many other excuses that could spark the war to prevent it from coming. Serafall sent me here for two purposes. The first is to prevent someone trying to start the war in this city from succeeding. The other is to train both you and your Peerage.

"Do you understand Sona? I'm not here just for you but your Peerage as well, you should know why."

She shut her eyes and muttered, "The Civil War."

I nodded, even thought she could not see me for the moment, "That's right, the Civil War. She does not want you to go through what she did, not to experience that hell she lived through." I spun and glared right into her eyes.

"It broke her Sona. It broke her so badly that it took two hundred years and both you and me together to finally to put the pieces together." I gently poked her in the chest, "She wanted to save you from that so badly that she was willing to part from me for you. Do you understand Sona?"

She nodded solemnly. If there is anyone in the world alive other than myself that truly understood what parting from me meant for Serafall it would be Sona.

"War is coming Sona." I repeated myself. "And when it does, there is nothing you can do to keep your Peerage away from it. You will see them bleed, one way or the other. Other right here and now so they can learn how to fight and not bleed and die later on. Or they will bleed in the battlefield where they will just die." I stopped and took a step back.

"However Sona, I cannot treat you the same as I treated your Peerage." I informed her. "You are a Heiress, making you an equal to me in rank. I cannot force you into combat like I did with your Peerage. So instead I will offer you a choice, Sona Sitri."

I pointed towards the room behind the stage. "You can go and join your Peerage where they are resting, or you can stay here and be trained by me.

"But be warned. The moment we begin, I will treat you not as an equal but as student. I will treat you no different than I did your Peerage. I will break your bones, spill your blood and make you suffer like never before. But in exchange I will make you stronger, so that you may have a chance to survive the upcoming dangers.

"So what say you, Heiress of the Sitri, do you accept?"

Her reply came in streams of water that she conjured into the air around her, dances and fluttering like ribbon in the wind. A heartbeat later, their number grew from the four they began with, to so many in number that they filled the entire gymnasium, numbering far more than I could count. They twisted and turned in the air likes snakes waiting to strike at a moment command.

I smiled in pride at her.

That's right, this is how a King should be. With courage and through example, that is how a King leads his men.

Isn't that right, Saber?

**Story End**

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

That it for the new chapter, I hope you all liked it.

I had a lot of fun writing the training scene even though fight scenes of any kinds are hard to show in written form (even though there wasn't much fighting going on).

Those who love the Boosted Gear, don't worry it'll play a big role in this story (and no Shirou will not get it – no magical power up remember). Remember the story is told from Shirou's point of view so there are things going on in the background that he is unaware of or information that he's lacking (he's only been in the school for two days now) so there are pieces of the puzzle he doesn't know about.

**Shirou and Sirzechs fight:** I was planning on keeping this fight vague but it seems to have caused confusion among readers so I'll clear up what basically happened. Shirou didn't lose simply because Sirzechs is so much stronger than him, he lost because Shirou is still a 19 year old boy. He isn't Archer who went from battle field to battle field for who knows how many years. While on the other hand Sirzechs is a veteran of a civil war that lasted for years and an acknowledged war hero. If Sirzechs was less experienced than he was, he would have lost the moment Shirou summoned the UBW because he would have just gaped in shock at the sight and not noticed or react to the blades raining down on him in time.

Shirou is not only less experienced but he was also only a few days old Devil at the time, he wasn't used to magic of the world or he's new found ability to sense it. So image how surprised he would have felt when Sirzechs revealed he's true form (which he had no idea even existed – to him it must have looked like a volcano turning into a small sun) and he sensed magic on a level he never felt before (which would have played havoc on his new Devils senses). If he even stood still in shock for so much as second that was more than enough time for Sirzechs to flip the table on him. Remember that even after all that, Sirzechs was still wounded because the transformation into his true self did nothing to heal his wounds caused by the swords. Not to mention neither of them were allowed to kill the other so both of their most powerful weapons could not be used (All holy swords are poisonous to Devils so Shirou couldn't risk using them on what in the end was nothing more than a spar).

Archer in the same place would have done a better job because he would have simply not lost his cool or lowered his guard at any point. And Shirou is not Archer skill wise, not yet anyway.

**School**: I'm basing the school schedule on a Japanese high school schedule that I looked up which apparently has a single one hour lunch break (while I'm sure that many other schools are different I liked this one). So if you're wondering why the lunch breaks in my story last so long, that why.

The antagonist will appear in the next chapter or two. When you finally meet him, I believe people will finally understand how far from Canon this story is going to depart. And finally everyone will understand when I say this is a complete AU I mean a complete AU (I had over 15 PMs telling me that the plot is different from Canon, really? What a shocker!).

Oh, and remember. I'm still a brand spanking new author of fan fiction so if I made any stupid mistakes that makes no sense in any of my chapters, I'm more than willing to rewrite it to fix it.

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the story.


	7. Chapter 7: Of Swords and Angels

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

***Story Start**

* * *

Of Swords and Angels

I raised my left hand into the air, watching with interest as the light bounced off the metallic surface of the deep red gauntlet. I rotated my wrist clockwise then counter-clockwise, observing the way the gauntlet effortlessly followed my movement despite its bulk, before clenching then relaxing my hand.

A perfect replica of the Sacred Gear Twice Critical encased my left hand and forearm. Ever since I first heard of Sacred Gears I have wanted to see if I can trace them. However before now I simply didn't have the chance to try.

At first it was due to time, I had so much to learn about the world when I first arrived and a detailed analysis of Sacred Gears was simply not a priority at the time. Then it was due to a lack of opportunity, as in the Underworld Sacred Gears were rather rare to find. They did only manifest in humans after all and outside of a young Devil's Peerage, Sacred Gears users were hard to find.

However since arriving in the human world opportunity no longer became an issue. My first attempt of replicating a Sacred Gear came when I had witnessed Kiba training one morning. Sword Birth was a perfect Sacred Gear for me to start experimenting with as it had so much in common with both my Tracing ability and my element.

While my attempt did work, I wouldn't call it a success. As predicted my abilities allowed me to replicate every sword that Kiba created but that just meant I copied the product of the Sacred Gear, not the Gear itself. Sword Birth as it turns out, did not have a physical manifestation which regrettably meant there was nothing for me to trace.

My second opportunity at replicating a Sacred Gear came soon after. Issei was surprisingly ecstatic for a person who had died just a few days ago. Perhaps it had to do with the lacy bra that Gremory had dangling in front of him with a fishing pole while she sat on his shoulders and made him run around the track field.

I have to admit, the Gremory sure knew how to handle the pervert, far better than I would have had I been in her place. While I doubt it would have been as effective, I would never have been willing to use my boxers as bait in order to train him if Issei was part of my Peerage.

What caught my interest however wasn't the training method but the maroon red gauntlet that covered his left arm. Twice Critical, a Sacred Gear capable of doubling an individual's strength for a limited time. In spite of its reputation as a low-tier Gear its power was nothing to laugh at. To increase my strength by double, no, even a twenty percent increase will give me an incredible boost in my fighting capabilities.

While not a sword, it was one of the more simplest forms a Sacred Gears can take, making it as good a place to start as any. After three days of trial and error, and countless of failed projections I finally made some progress.

I lifted my replicated Twice Critical in front of me. This was the result. With this, my attempts in reproducing Sacred Gears have come to an end. It was in every way a perfect copy that was indistinguishable from the real thing.

It was also a complete failure.

There was nothing wrong with it, no flaw in craftsmanship that prevented it from functioning as it should. It was as I had said a perfect copy. The problem lies not with my replica but with the original Twice Critical, or to be more precise the problem lies with Sacred Gears in general. In my experimentation with them, I had discovered a fundamental truth about their function.

Sacred Gears where not designed to grant its wielder powerful abilities, it is in fact utterly incapable of doing so. A Sacred Gears true purpose is that of a vessel. They were designed to contain the powers and souls of powerful beings. From an all-mighty Dragon to a tiny fairy, a Sacred Gear will imprison them inside its shell. The abilities that they are famed to grant are merely a consequence, nothing more than a side-effect of housing these beings.

That is why this my Twice Critical did not work. Without the soul of a Lesser Dragon to fuel its power it will not grant me any boost in power. Right now it was just an empty vessel, little more than a mundane piece of armor.

It was the same with Twilight Healing. The rings were merely a container for a soul that radiated the power of restoration. While I was uncertain, going off its nickname of "Smile of the Holy Mother", it is possible that its power stems from one of the spirits of the earth, a facet of Gaia herself. That would explain its ability to bypass magical resistance as our bodies are made from the fruits of the earth.

Twinkle Aegis, Tsubasa's Sacred Gear, is famed for housing a fairy with it. And by making a pact with the fairy it is possible to change the effects of the Gear.

That does not mean that it was impossible for me to craft a Sacred Gear, quite the opposite. My Twice Critical is capable of housing a soul just like the original could. It merely needed a soul to fill it.

In other words, all I have to do to make my Twice Critical work is to find a Dragon that is willing to part with its soul…yeah, like that's going to happen anytime soon.

In many ways the Sacred Gears reminded me of the history behind Kanshou and Bakuya. The famed blacksmith Gan Jiang was commissioned to forge an Imperial sword. His wife, Mo Ye, seeing her husband frustrated at his failures to forge such a blade, decided to sacrifice her own life to aid him.

To forge a sword that can reach the realm of the Gods, a human's life and essence is needed as a sacrifice. She threw herself into the furnace in front of her husband out of love, and in his grief he was able to craft the two masterpieces which he named Kanshou and Bakuya, the married twin swords. One to represent his wife and the other himself, the Yin and Yang.

They were masterpieces, unmatched by anything else Gan Jiang had ever forged before. The paired swords had the most remarkable ability to find the other; their attraction to one another will always lead one back to the other even if the other was lost.

Gan Jiang did not live long after he completed the blades. As he only gave up one of the blades but refused to relinquish the second sword, Kanshou, the one that represented himself, perhaps in hopes that it would somehow lead him back to his wife again someday. Regardless, his refusal to surrender the blade had resulted in him being executed by his king soon afterwards.

Sacred Gears, just like the two blades, require the sacrifice of a life to be forged.

I dismissed the false Twice Critical from my hand, hopped of my bed and made my way to the closet to get dressed for school. It wasn't worth it. The prize is not worth it if the sacrifice of life is the price.

I have seen many Magus walk down that path, willing to sacrifice anything in their quest for power. Sometimes that ended in failure while others times they got the power they were seeking, but I had never once seen them find any happiness for it. At that price, such a life has no meaning.

I picked up on my bag from the side of the door as I shoved my other arm into the sleeve of my jacket before existing my room and making my way down the stairs.

Spotting the _large_ pile of lunch boxes on the dining room table, I made a detour toward it to pick it up while crossing the kitchen entrance on my way there.

_*Beep*_

I stopped in my tracks and blinked in confusion as I heard a mildly alarming sound coming out of the kitchen.

_*Beep**Beep**Beep*_

The slight anxiety that I was feeling evolved into complete trepidation as I heard the noise again. With great reluctance I reversed my course and made my way back toward the kitchen entrance. I paused, unwilling to enter the room but knowing that I couldn't just ignore it.

_*Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep*_

I compromised and decided to stick my head in through the door while keeping most of my body hidden behind the wall and out of harm's way.

"Shirou!" Asia exclaimed as soon as she caught sight of me. "Thank god –Ouch! NOT NOW DAMN IT – Thank that ungrateful prick you're here! I need your help."

"Yes…I can see that" I deadpanned.

The kitchen was, to put it lightly, an utter mess. Cooking tools were scattered all over the counter and floor. Splashes of multicolored liquid stained every conceivable surface in the room including the ceiling and piles of badly chopped fruits and vegetables littered the floor and tables.

Asia didn't fare any better. Her face was covered with food stains and she was wearing what used to be a clean white apron that now looks as it had been vomited on by a drunken rainbow. In one hand she held a butcher knife that she was swinging arou nd in panic every time she spoke.

_*Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep**Beep*_

Was that the microwave?

"Shirou_,*Beep*_ help. I don't _*Beep*_ know what I _*Beep*_ did wrong _*Beep*_ but _*Beep*_ it _*Beep*_wouldn't _*Beep* _stop _*Beep*_ beeping-"

*Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep*

_**BOOM!**_

It was only that my superhuman reflexes that allowed me to react in time and pull my head back away from the eruption that sent a black billowing cloud exploding out into the kitchen and shooting through the door.

…I did not even know that was possible.

I mean, do microwaves work differently in this universe or is Asia's cooking so bad that the microwave just committed suicide and tried to take us all with it in some kind of Kamikaze attack?

By this point the smoke was beginning to clear so I carefully peered back into the Kitchen.

The kitchen and everything in it was completely covered in soot, it was as if someone had painted everything black. And poor Asia was no exception. She blended into the background of the room so well that the only reason why I could even tell she was there was thanks to the white of her eyes that were wide open with confusion.

"-Never mind Shirou, I fixed it." She croaked out, her snow-white teeth standing out from her soot covered skin as she spoke.

"…Do you need some help?" I reluctantly offered. Normally I'd be more than happy to help but I'm honestly terrified of entering the kitchen while Asia was still in there. I don't know if it was possible for the rest of the kitchen appliance to follow in the footsteps of the recently deceased microwave but I didn't want to find out. The very idea that my beloved kitchen, the place where I practice my art of cooking, trying to kill me would break my heart.

"No-" A cough interrupted her as a cloud of black smoke erupted from her mouth, "no, I'm fine. You need to get to school anyway. "

I tried not to look relived as I waved her goodbye, picked up the lunch boxes and walked out of the house as fast as I could without actually running. I also mentally added a new item to the list of things to keep Asia away from, at least when I'm in the vicinity. So far it's alcohol, internet porn and now cooking.

* * *

"Checkmate." Sona declared after setting down the bishop.

"Ah, well." I rubbed the back of my neck as I stared at the chess board. "Looks like I lost. Well it was fun but I really-

"Again."

"But we just-"

"Again." She repeated, a tone of finality in her voice.

I sighed in resignation as I began to help her rearrange the pieces on the board, all the while trying to ignore the snickering of the Student Council member around me.

Momo had stopped half way through filling some paperwork when she heard Sona's declaration of my defeat. She stood up and walked up to the large man sized blackboard that had recently been hung on one of the walls of the Student Council Room.

It had a vertical line drawn down the middle of it, dividing the blackboard in two. On the top of both halves were names, Sona's on the right and mine on the left. My side had nothing in the middle of it, just a clear blank space until you reached the very bottom where the number 0 was clearly written.

Sona's side was the complete opposite of mine. The middle of it was filled with dozens of tally marks, almost filling the entire space. On the very bottom of the board was the number 71.

Momo picked up a piece of chalk from a nearby table before approaching Sona's side of the board and added an additional tally mark, and despite the stoic/bored expression she wore I knew, just knew, that she took vindictive glee as she ever so slowly erased the number in the bottom and scratched out the number 72.

Seventy two, I had suffered seventy two continues losses. Just looking at that number sent a knife of pain through me as my pride took another hit. For the last five straight days, ever since the training I had given them, Sona has dragged me into the Student Council office where she repeatedly forced me into a game of chess. She proceeded to kick my ass in every possible way, and I do mean every way.

I've had games where she beat me in as little as seven moves, while at other times she repeatedly spared me as she hunted down all of my pieces one by one until the King remained. Then instead of killing me she proceeded to hunt my King across the board for the better part of fifteen minutes before she decided to put me out of my misery. Or more likely she simply got bored; she seemed to be all out of mercy these days.

All the while she made sure to have the rest of the Student Council watch while it was happening. Going by the barely concealed smirks and snickers it seemed that they were enjoying the show.

Yeah, they may been a little sore about training.

What I didn't understand was why did it _burn_ so much to lose? I didn't even like chess for Maou's sake but my pride, my poor shattered and abused pride, hurt so much at the thought of this little wisp of a girl kicking my ass seventy two times in a row at anything.

The rest of the Student Council's smirks were not helping either. Is this bullying? Am I being bullied?

Sona, being a Devil of Pride like me, probably knew exactly what to do to hit me in mine while not actually doing anything wrong. I mean what am I supposed to say? Mr. Principle, the bullies are beating me at chess. No, they're not beating me with a chess set but in an actual chess game and it really hurts my feelings so tell them to stop. I'd get laughed at, which will probably grind the remaining fragments of my broken Pride to dust. And if Serafall ever found out it wouldn't surprise me if she decided to cheer her little 'So-tan' on…in a cheerleader's outfit with pom poms.

I let out a sigh before picking up one of the pawns and moving it two spaces forward. Oh well, considering what I put them through I'm getting off pretty cheaply. And at least this will give me an opportunity to talk to Sona.

"Did you speak to Gremory yet?" I asked as she instantly replied to my opening move.

She nodded, "While I avoided any details I was able to impart the need for us to prepare and train. All she knows was that I had been able to figure out part of the reason why you're really here and that we needed to get stronger fast."

"So does she plan to come to me for training?"

"There is no need," She used her bishop to capture my knight, "Rias intends to take her entire Peerage to one of her family's villas in the mountains for a ten day training camp and has already arranged for a trainer. She had contacted her brother and requested to borrow his knight, Okita Souji, to coach them for the duration."

"Really? I'm surprised, I never thought she would willing go to Sirzechs for help in anything. How did you convince her to do that?"

"While I didn't mention anything about your true purpose here, I did impart that not only our lives but that of our Peerage were in danger. Say what you want about Rias but she is more than willing to swallow her pride when it comes to keeping her Peerage safe. They'll be leaving in a couple of weeks' time."

I was secretly relieved at that. I have been avoiding the Gremory ever since our first meeting but I knew I couldn't keep away from her for long, not if I wanted to protect her. However if Okita is going to take care of them I won't have to deal with that problem for a while longer.

Now that issue was settled, it was time to broach the newest problem that happened to crop up.

"So, have you heard about the theft?" I asked as I tried to think of my next move.

"Theft?" She repeated, clearly confused by the question. I guess no one told her. "Shirou, what are you talking about?"

Instead of answering, I reached into my inner breast pocket and pulled out the folded up report I received last night and handed it to her. She took it from me and began to peruse it while I continued to think of a next move.

It was several minutes later that Sona finished reading, just as I had decided to move my knight. "Four of the Excaliburs were stolen? How did they pull that off? All of the Excalibur's fragments were stored in separate churches all across Europe yet they stole four of the seven at the exact same time." She didn't even bother to look down at the board as she played her next move.

When I first heard that the Excalibur in this world was broken my first thought was disbelief. In my world Excalibur was the strongest holy sword in existence, one that cannot simply be referred as beautiful because its appearance was so unmatched that to call it merely 'beautiful' would only dirty it.

My second thought was gratitude that Saber was not her to hear about the fate of her beloved sword. I was not sure if it was possible for King Arthur to have a heart attack but I didn't want to find out.

I grimaced as it became apparent that my king was getting cornered. "Yes but that wasn't the most remarkable part of the entire thing."

"You're talking about the guards?"

I nodded as I moved my king. Sona instantly played her move as soon as I let go of the chess piece and I had to bite back the urge to cuss. "No one was killed. Do you realize how strange that is?"

She absently nodded as she thought about it, "Why would they bother sparing them. Breaking into such well-guarded places to steal the Excaliburs would be difficult enough as it is. Why would they make it even harder on themselves by sparing the guards? The chances of something going wrong increases exponentially for each guard they spared but they did it anyway."

She shut her eyes to focus on the mystery, "It's not like it would lessen the wrath of the Church by sparing them after stealing the swords. The Church may have been happier to have dead guards but kept the swords then the other way around, so there is no way they'd show any leniency no matter how merciful the thieves acted. And if the perpetrators wanted to harm or weaken the Church it would have been better to simply kill the guards."

I nodded in agreement. The Excaliburs were not guarded by run of the mill security guards, but they were protected by some of the best exorcists the Church has. If they had killed them instead of sneaking by or incapacitating them, they would have significantly weakened the Church's manpower. At least of the human variety.

"So it was an inside job?" She thought aloud, "No, the Excaliburs were guarded by different sects. There is no way that could happen."

Despite the humans of the Heaven Faction identifying themselves as the Church, they were not actually a united group. They were divided into several different sects, ranging from small to large in size, each with their own set of beliefs and command structures. Some of the major sects were the Roman Catholic Church, the Easter Orthodox Church and the Protestants.

Each of the Excaliburs were guarded by different Sects. And while they were officially on the same side, the Sects rarely got along with one another. That was why the idea of an inside job is laughable. The Sects had trouble even agreeing on the smallest and simplest of issues. That a clandestine group of people from several different sects were able to work together so coherently that they were capable of pulling off an elaborate and well-timed theft like this without anybody finding out was as close to impossible as you can get.

"Surprisingly the Church hasn't accused Devils of the theft." I said, drawing Sona away from her thoughts. "It seems that the lack of death or destruction, in addition to the theft occurring on holy ground, has convinced the majority of the Church that it wasn't our side that did it."

"Yes," she nodded in agreement after thinking about it, "not to mention that Devils can't even hold an ordinary Holy Blade let alone an Excalibur. There was no way we could have done it. It's still your turn by the way."

Damn it. I looked down at the chess set and moved a random piece forward, hoping it I would get lucky and get out of this mess. Looks like she'd learned from the last time I tried to distract her with news.

"Speaking of weapons," She was wearing a smug smile as she looked down on the chess board after my latest move though she did not respond yet, "I've been meaning to ask you about the one you gave Tsubaki."

Ah, that's right. I had almost completely forgotten about it. From the edge of eye I caught Tsubaki looking up from her work as she heard Sona bring up the topic. I turned towards her and asked, "Tsubaki, could you please summoning it here? It will be easier to explain that way."

After a questioning glance towards Sona, who gave her a nod, she summoned the halberd that same way she did with her Naginata. The weapon soon dropped into her hands and she twirled it around so that the blade was pointed upwards and the butt of the shaft was placed firmly on the ground.

"Its name is Houtengeki," I began, "a one of a kind halberd crafted in ancient China. It is in every meaning of the word a masterpiece and if you search the entire world you'll never find another halberd that can match it. What distinguished it from any other type of weapon is its versatility that allows it to use all the major characteristic of all other two-handed type of weapons, allowing it to be effective in slashing, thrusting, battering, scything and sweeping.

"However that is just as much a flaw as a blessing in its design, as it takes a lot of skill to handle this weapon. It would not be inaccurate to say that in order to master it you need to the skill to wield several different types of weapon. It is an incredibly difficult weapon to learn how to wield proficiently and will take years even for the most talented fighter to completely master. In the almost two thousand years that the Houtengeki has existed only one man has ever successfully mastered it."

"The most remarkable aspect about this particular weapon is how it's destructive power varies with the skill of its wielder. The more skilled the user the more powerful the halberd becomes, while in the hands of an amateur it becomes little more than a pointy stick."

"At maximum strength it is said to have the capacity to pierce anything in the world, from the strongest of armor to the scales of dragons and even the flesh of Gods."

At this point, everyone in the Council room was staring at the weapon with looks of shock and awe. The flabbergasted expressions on the usually stoic faces of Sona, Tsubaki and Momo were especially hilarious.

Again, I felt a part of me preen with pride at the looks they were giving one of my blades, I almost felt like a peacock showing off his feathers. I took a second to simply bask in the sensation. It was wonderful feeling to have your work recognized and acknowledged after all.

It wasn't unexpected that the Houtengeki's capabilities had caught them by surprise. Unlike the Calabolg II, the Houtengeki didn't radiate as much power even though they could clearly tell it was a remarkable weapon. That was only natural; after all it's true power can only be unlocked when in the hands of a wielder skilled enough to master it.

"Shirou," Sona said, after finally regaining her ability to speak, "did you give my Queen a potentially God slaying weapon? Just like that?" The look she was giving me was the one she usually reserves for Serafall, particularly when she does something incredible stupid or insane.

I shrugged in reply, "I had no use for it." That was true. The Houtengeki, while powerful, did not offer any unique abilities that I could not find in another weapon. In fact, compared to some of my stronger blades, it paled in comparison. "It would be a waste to leave such a weapon with someone like me who will just leave it somewhere to gather dust. I'm sure the Houtengeki will be much happier with Tsubaki instead. Besides I broke her old one, it was only natural for me to replace it."

She shot me a scrutinizing look, "You make it sound like you have a lot of weapons."

I cast my mind to the endless field of swords of my Reality Marble and simply stated, "Yes."

"Who?" Someone questioned from my left. I looked to discover it had been Tsubaki, "You said that only one man in history ever mastered the Houtengeki. Who was it?"

"He was Lu Bu, a man whose skill in battle has carved him a place as a legend in China's history."

"A hero?" Sona asked, "You gave her a legendary hero's weapon?"

I shook my head, "Lu Bu was many great things, but he was no hero."

"Wait, just wait a sec Aniki." I resisted the urge to shudder at being called that name. While I didn't mind it at first, once I found out _why _Saji called me that I quickly came to hate it. Hopefully I'll be able to persuade him to change his dream, or at the very least not shout it out loud, before Serafall meets him or else Sona is going to have to find herself a new Pawn. "You make it sound like you have hundreds of these things lying about. Does that mean you can give away dozens of weapons and not even notice them missing?"

"While that was not what I meant to imply, yes I can and I know what you are going to ask next Saji and I'm afraid the answer is no, I'm not giving away any more of my blades." I told him. "You have to understand that most powerful magical swords and weapons are not something anyone can wield. Think about how Holy Swords would only allow their chosen user to wield them, the same thing applies to most of my blades.

"The Houtengeki is one of the only handful of weapon I have that can be used by anybody but even it would refuse to grant its wielder the entirety of its power unless they prove themselves worthy of it."

Saji seemed to deflate a little at my words. I couldn't entirely blame him for his disappointment. If I couldn't trace my own swords I also would have wanted one of them for myself too.

"Now Shirou," Sona cut in, "If you are done distracting me I have something to tell you."

"And what's that?" I asked her.

She smirked at me and moved her rook forward, "Checkmate."

* * *

The green leaves overhead rustled in their branches as a warm summer breeze swept through the park. It sent ripples running through the still water of the lake, momentarily distorting the reflection of the clear blue skies.

The park was surprisingly empty despite the warm day. Though that could be due to the time, school just ended after all and most kids have either went straight to home or to the nearby shopping center while most of the adults were still at work. The only reason why I was even here was because I decided to take a bit of detour on my way home.

Another breeze swept thought the park, ruffling the bangs of my hair as I walked beside the lake and enjoyed the view. Still, if I had known a place like this existed I would have come here earlier. Maybe I'll bring Asia here for a barbeque or something if it was allowed. Though going by my luck I better prepare a meal for seven as I had a feeling a certain cat will find her way here.

I took a seat on one of the benches lining the road, on the opposite side from the lake but facing it, allowing me an unobstructed view. I decided to relax for a moment and think over how my job has been going so far.

All in all, things have been going surprisingly well. If you discount the whole Fallen incident, everything is on track. I was able to convince the girls to improve the amount and quality of the Bounded Field in their territory, have begun training Sona and her Peerage and while I'm not the one going to train the Gremory's she has arranged a competent fighter to train them.

While I don't know much about Souji Okita personally, having only met him a couple of times and exchange only a few words, I did catch a glimpse of his sword. That was all I needed to know that Gremory's Peerage would be in safe hands.

"It was written by men, you know."

Huh? I shook my head to snap myself out of my thoughts and looked around. I thought I was completely alone but it looks like I was wrong, I must have been completely out of it to not notice someone approaching. There sitting on a park bench across the road from me and a little bit to my left was a man.

He was clad in a simple white buttoned up shirt with plain black trousers. Around his neck hung a small silver cross which dangled on the middle of his chest. In his hand he held an open Bible that he was currently leafing through.

_Beautiful. _No other word could accurately describe the man. I had once thought that Kiba had a face that can make even girls envious; if so then this is man can make even the Angels jealous. His beauty was just that unnatural.

The wind gentle caressed his raven tresses sending it drifting slowly about his face. His hair curled ever so slightly as it fell down from his head and onto his shoulders, so dark they seemed to have been painted from the night sky. His skin was a healthy and flawless pink, unmarred in anyway by even the slightest imperfection.

Sky blue eyes shone out of his aristocratic face, which was currently held a look of relaxed contemplation as he studied the bible with a small smile. Slim shoulders and waist, he could have easily been mistaken as a girl from afar. The hands which he turned the pages of the bible with were soft and smooth, a scholar's hands, free of callouses and scars.

He looked so inhumanly perfect, that I actually used my magic to search for any illusion. When they came back negative I used my magic to examine myself to see if my mind was tempered in anyway. But no this was not trick, no illusion, he really was that beautiful.

While I was still inexperienced in the sensing out magic I was quickly become fairly proficient at it, so I cast my Devil Senses about him to see if I could discover anything. He was magical, of that I had no doubt but as far as I can tell he was human with only a bit above average magical reserves. That could either mean that that he has some limited experience in magic or he was simply one of the lucky people to be born with good magic reserves.

"The Bible that is." He leafed through another page as he spoke.

"Huh?" was my eloquent reply.

He shut the bible and held it up to me, "The Bible, it was written by men not God. Christ never penned it himself and it was written many years after he passed away by his devoted followers. Although they did that completely from memory so it was unlikely for them to have gotten it right."

I tilted my head at that, "So…why are you reading it then? If you're that certain that is was man-made then you have no reason to read it. After all it won't lead you to God."

He smiled at that, it reminded of warm rays of sunlight after a stormy night, "Ah, but I wasn't looking for God in these pages. I was looking for man. When you create something you always leave a little bit of yourself in it. A reflection of your true nature." He ran his fingers over the surface of the book, "So I search through these pages to find a reflection of mankind."

"I'm surprised." I told him, "Going by the cross you were I wearing would have figured you for a Christian."

"Oh I am." He picked up the cross as he spoke, "I am a follower of God and believe that Christ was his gift upon all of mankind." He let go of the cross and allowed it to thump onto his chest. "Just because I don't believe the Bible to be completely accurate does not mean I don't believe in God."

"Then why are you reading the Bible if you believe it was made by humans?"

"That's because humans are so very fascinating. Even God himself was fascinated by them. He had created countless of different species but he held mankind above them all. Even his loyal and flawless angels he commanded to bow down to Adam, the father of all humans." He set the bible down onto his lap and traced the engraved title with his fingers. "So from the very beginning I wanted to know, what made them so special. What was it about them that had captivated even the All-Mighty himself. That is why I look for them in these pages."

He leaded tilted back his head and peered up into the sky, and I swear at that very moment the sun began to shine brighter as it came out from behind a cloud, "Let me tell you a little story." He began.

"Once long ago when the world was still young and new, God gathered all of his creations before them and asked 'Who among you will carry the burden of free will?'

"At the time, every creature was under Gods commands. They followed his will to the letter, never questioning nor disobeying. God however was saddened by this as it meant that they did not follow him because they desired to but because they could not comprehend doing anything else. While all of his creations can make choices of their own, they can never go against anything he has decided on, not even to question a single command.

"Thus he created the ability for his creations to choose and named it 'free will'. But then came the question of who to gift it to, as free will was not something to be treated lightly, as in many ways it was as much of a curse as it was a gift.

"So when he gathered all of his creations he turned first to his Angels, creatures of light so beautiful and noble that he has chosen them to act as his voice. He asked them if they desired the gift but they replied, 'No Lord, we are your servants, your will and voice. We desire nothing more than to continue to serve you as such.'

"He then turned to the mountains themselves, those that can lift the weight of the earth with ease, he asked them if they desired the gift but they replied, 'No Lord, we cannot lift such a burden. Even our mighty shoulder will collapse under such a weight.'

"Again and again God asked his creations and each in turn rejected his gift. That is until he reached the humans.

"When he asked man if they would desire the gift, they answered "Yes Lord, we would gladly bear such a gift." And then God rejoiced, for at long last he would have someone that would _choose_ to follow him.

"When God dispersed his creations back to where they belong, he returned the humans down to earth and watched over them. As he did, so did all of the inhabitants in heaven came to watch as well, curious about what these humans would do with their free will.

"At first the humans continued to live their lives as normal, seemly unaffected by their gift of free will. That illusion however was quickly dispelled barely an hour later. One of the humans had found himself in a position where he had to make a choice. It was an important decision, one that could potentially affect the rest of his life. So using the intellect his species were famed for combined with his new found free will, he quickly decided on what to do. Do you know what he did next?" He lowered his gaze towards mine as he asked me.

I shook my head, "No idea."

A sardonic smirk graced his lips as he said, "The human turned towards the Heavens and yelled out, 'Lord, tell me what to do!'"

I couldn't help it, I broke out laughing. The idea was so funny because I could picture it happening. It was such a _human_ thing to do I'm surprised I didn't see it coming. When I finally collected myself I found him smiling indulgently at me.

"That, son of man, was the exact same reaction that the rest of Heaven had. I along with many of my Angel brethren laughed at the sight. We believed that our Lord had chosen wrongly, that the humans were unworthy of bearing such a gift. We all turned towards God to tell him so but held our tongues when we saw him.

"Father was not laughing, nor was he upset or in any way angry. He merely watched down upon the humans with the same infinite patience he always had for his children. So we decided to say nothing and turned back towards watching the humans.

"The human, not receiving his reply, turned back towards the heavens and ask the Lord once again. Then again, and again, and once again. Over and over he repeated 'tell me what to do' rather than even attempt to figure it out for himself. After a long while, it finally dawned on the human that the Lord was not going to reply. That's when the prayers for help turned to curses of hatred.

"He cursed his name and insulted him in every way he could think of. All the while, God didn't react; he merely continued to watch over him silently and patiently. At last his insults ran dry and after yelling out that he did not need God or his help that he can decide on his own he left and did just that.

"Over the centuries the very same scene repeated many countless of times. Man would ask for God to command them on what to do and when they received no answer they cursed him before trying to solve their problem on their own.

"At first it was almost painful for us in Heaven to watch. You humans kept stumbling around, making the same mistake time and time again, only to start over and repeat them with each new generation. Many of the Angels turned away, unable to bear watching any longer. Father however continued to watch, never once did he ever stop watching over your kind.

"Then one day, something different happened. Man began to _learn._ It was the most remarkable thing I had ever seen." At my look of confusion he elaborated, "You must understand when God created us Angels, he made us perfect. We were unchanging beings, an eon can past and we would behave no differently than we did the day we were born. Why would we? God made us perfect, and perfect we remained.

"But you human, you _changed_. You grew, you became _more_ than what God made you to be. More than he intended you to be. Through your own will and abilities you have surpassed even Adam and Eve, the humans who God crafted with his own hands. And you did so with no help or guidance from the Lord.

"Quickly, that change continued. I watched as mankind learned. How their once endless failure began to turn to success, mistakes became lessons to be learned. Eventually man grew in number until they became so large that they spread all over the globe, outnumbering any other race. Even then they did not stop there; as such an accomplishment was not enough to satisfy them.

"Man, despite all the years, still remembered the splendor of Heaven and tried to match it. They tried to create a Kingdom of their own to rival it. The gathered all the riches and the greatest craftsmen in all their lands and began to build a city to try and rival God's own. A 'Kingdom of Heaven' I believed they called it.

"They failed of course. But just like at the start, they kept trying over and over again…And while they still failed they kept getting better and closer to Heaven's splendors. One needs only to look upon the wonder that was Camelot to realize that." I barely restrained myself from flinching at that name.

He let out a sigh as he lost himself in memories, "I thought for sure they were about to succeed but I never got to find out if Father's faith in them was right, as alas they were stopped."

"By who?" I prompted when it didn't look like the Angel, who pretended to be a man, was about to continue. While I had no idea why one of Heaven's soldiers would wanted to speak to me, I had to admit I was curious to hear what he had to say.

"Devils." He answered. "You have to understand that back then they were different than what they have become today; they were truly vile and evil creatures. They still are mind you, but back then it was in an entirely different level. So much so that the current Lucifer would sooner spit at them then call one of those filth kin.

"That was the start of the Great War. God did not want to interfere with the affairs of Mankind because he wanted to see them grow. To witness them fulfil their true potential that even God himself could not predict the limit of. That was why he never answered their prayers for guidance. He wanted earth to be free from the influence of both Heaven and Hell so that Man can grow unhindered.

"So when he witnessed the Devils encroaching in the domain of Man, corrupting them and twisting their minds, he went to war to protect them. And the rest," he shrugged sadly, "was as they say history."

He looked back up at the clear blue skies, "Still, I've always wondered what would have happened if the Devils had not come. How far would mankind have reached?"

"Humans are not all that great you know." I told him, feeling a little bit ashamed at my original race and at the truth of my words. "I have seen some commit sins that even the most coldhearted of Devils would shy away from. Atrocities so horrifying, that it would make you lose all hope in humanity."

He nodded knowingly at that. "That is true. Even I cannot deny those words. It is why I have always compared humanity as a whole to the night sky."

I frowned in confusion, "In what way?"

"An endless darkness. The night sky is dark and foreboding, it blankets the world and would cause even the bravest of souls to despair, and what little light you do find is always outnumber by the ever encroaching darkness, fighting a battle that it will eventual lose.

"The human soul, no humanity as a whole is like that – pitch black. There are so much lies, hypocrisy, betrayals, hatred and rage that it stains their very souls black. It is why when I look over the sea of human souls all I can perceive is a near endless sea of darkness. It is enough to paint the entire sky black and the few good souls, those flickers of light that shine so bright are so very far apart."

He shut his eyes for a moment before turning and staring right at me, "But do you know what is the first thing that I always think of when I imagine the night sky?"

"What?"

"The stars, "he looked back up to the sky as if he was staring at the very sky he spoke of, "I think of the stars.

"Why is it that when we think of the night sky we do not picture a pitch black sky but a sea of shining stars? The human soul is like that. Flicker of lights on a backdrop of darkness. Our eyes can't help but be drawn to them, captivated by their light.

"Even though we know that the darkness is infinitely more than the light, one limitless while the other limited. That between each radiant star there is a near endless nothingness that divides them, yet when I think of space, when I think of the night, all I can picture are stars.

"They captivate me, those lone few that shine. They draw my eyes to them so that I no longer notice anything else but them. And I love them for it.

"To me humanity is not the many who do wrong, but the few who do right despite how very hard it is to do so. And they do it for no other reason than _it is right_. That is why I _adore_ humans." He turned to look at me, "Humans like you."

I shook my head at the Angel, "I'm no human, not anymore at least."

He gave me a proud beaming smile, one that reminded me so much of Kiritsugu that I felt my heart ache, before standing up and walking towards me.

"You are," he said when he stood before me. Slowly, he reached out and pressed his open palm onto the middle of my chest. "Even though your flesh has been corrupted by them, I can see past it and peer into your very soul. And what I find there is the spirit of man blazing so brightly that it outshines all but one other that I have seen before."

Before I could even think of stopping him, he took off his cross and placed it around my neck.

I reflexively grimaced, shut my eyes and braced myself for the burning pain…that never came? I slowly pried open my eyes and looked down on the silver cross that rested on my chest, glinting innocuously in the sunlight.

OK. That should have hurt me, a lot at that.

Ever since my reincarnation as a Devil I had been warned repeatedly not to touch any holy objects and crosses were on the very top of the list. Even if held through gloves, indirect physical contact is enough to burn any Devil. Even the Maous are not immune to it.

While there weren't any holy objects in the Underworld for obvious reasons so I never had the chance to personally touch a cross, if I had ever been masochistic enough to want to, I know for a fact that I'm supposed to be feeling a lot of searing pain at this moment.

Cautiously, I poked the cross with a finger before quickly pulling my hand back as if it would grow teeth and bite me. Seeing that nothing happened I touched it again, before cradling the cross in the palm of my hand and staring it in wonder.

I looked back up at the Angel before me, smiling radiantly down at my no doubt confused face.

"Why does the cross not burn you?" He spoke my unasked question. "Even I do not know for sure. Is it due to that thing you hold inside of you? The one that radiates such a familiar warmth. Or perhaps it's just you, Child of Adam; perhaps there is something just so unique about you. Or maybe it is something else entirely.

"I do not know for sure, all I do know is that when I look into you I do not see a soul corrupted by the Devil's taint, even though it wears the flesh of one. I see an untouched human soul that still holds mankind's limitless potential. So in every way that matters Shirou, you are human."

Giving me one more radiant smile he turned and walked away. Once again a breeze rippled throughout the park, this time strong enough to lift the Angel's hair momentarily, revealing long pointed elf-like ears.

After walking several paces away he half-turned back towards me, "Emiya Shirou, you who are one of Adam's children, allow me the honor of introducing myself to you."

Ten bird-like wings erupted out of his back, confirming my suspicion that he was an Angel. Unfortunately I was wrong about what kind.

The smile he gave me was one of unconditional benevolence and compassion, before he placed his right hand over his heart and bent his waist into a small bow, as all the while raven colored feathers gently drifted in the air around us. "I am Kokabiel, the Fallen Noble of the Stars, one of the Lords of Girgori," straightening out his bow he sent me one final smile, "And I shall be the one to deliver the will of God upon the earth."

Then in a flutter of feathers, he was gone.

For a long while I just stared at the spot he was last standing in, as black feathers danced in the breeze, before I collapsed back onto the bench and let out a frustrated sigh.

So… that was Kokabiel. The same Kokabiel that I was sent to guard against, that I was to protect the children from, the Fallen that wishes to start a war and the one who I was ordered to kill if deemed necessary. That Kokabiel.

…Well, that sucks.

* * *

Kicking off the ground, I spun in my chair as I stared up at my room's ceiling. It had been three days since I met Kokabiel and I have used up every resource I had available to try and find him ever since. I failed.

That shouldn't have been possible. I was already keyed into the Bounded Fields in the Devil's territory so I would now be alerted to each and every magical presence passing the through the Fields. I've also had every familiar in the city looking out for him and the guards keeping an eye out for any traces of the Fallen.

All for nothing it seems. As far as I could tell, Kokabiel was gone. There was no trace of him in the city whatsoever, which was supposed to be impossible. The crows, due to their small reserves, were especially sensitive to any form of magical presence. Even the weakest of Fallen could not hide from them, hell they were even able to sense Issei.

One of the Bounded fields that the guards place over the city prevented anyone from teleporting themselves in unless they were Devils or someone in the city summoned them. While it was feasible for someone to summon Kokabiel out of the city the reverse shouldn't have been possible, simply because there was no one in city who could have done it.

We checked, I had the guards' familiar follow all known magic users in the city or anyone who had enough magic reverse to pull it off and all of them were cleared. Not one of them could have summoned Kokabiel. So how did he get in here? And if he really left how does he expect to get back in?

At this point I was tempted to call in all the guards patrolling the city and have them guard the kids directly, secret or no secret, but I ruled it off as a stupid idea. This was Kokabiel, a Fallen that fought and flourished during the Great War, where he distinguished enough that he was named in the Bible. If rumors of his strength were in anyway accurate, than the guards would barely slow him down before he massacres them.

My other reason is that there is always the small possibility of the heightened security scaring him off. I'm under no delusion that if he leaves this city alone he would just stop his quest for war. No, he would simply go and try somewhere else, someplace where we're less prepared. Despite the risks, it would be better for everyone involved if he was dealt with here and now.

My chair's spinning slowed to a stop so I kicked off the floor again. I have already ordered the guards not to inform anybody of Kokabiel's sighting, not even the Maous. Or perhaps I should say especially not the Maous. If either Sirzechs or Serafall even caught wind that someone as dangerous as Kokabiel had gotten so close to their sisters entirely undetected they would charge in here guns blazing.

For a group of people claiming to desire peace the Maous can be a surprisingly trigger happy bunch. Well that's not true only half of them are like that, the other half are more than happy to ignore the world around them in favor of their own little hobbies…How the hell did these people became leaders of an entire race again?

Either way I had no intention of any of them catching wind of this until I had dealt with everything. It was a good thing I was given direct command of the guards or else I wasn't sure if they would have listened to my orders.

As my chairs slowed to a halt my eyes caught sight of the cross that sat in the middle of my desk. Then there was that thing. I had no idea how it happened but it appeared I was immune to anything holy.

I tested myself with everything from other holy crosses to holy water and even prayer. I went as far as traveling to a small chapel in a nearby town and tried praying to god while holding a Bible and having a priest bless me. Nothing, I felt not a single damn thing, not so much as a heart burn.

I did make sure to keep this a secret, not because I feared how other Devils may react so much as I was terrified of Asia's reaction. I had no idea what she would do if she ever found out I could pray to God and she couldn't, but I had no intention of ever finding out.

Shaking my head, I pushed off the ground and rolled my chair towards the desk where a small stack of files waited for me. They were reports on both Sona's and the Gremory's Peerage. While I had already received basic profiles about them before I had even arrived here, it was clear that it wasn't enough.

I still remember Koneko's look of abject terror just from my unexpected touch. How she shivered in place, ready to bolt at even the smallest sign of aggression. No, it clearly wasn't enough.

I had intended to look into her past far earlier but I had been delayed by the Kokabiel issue. However since everything to do with him has led to a dead end so far I have found myself with enough spare time to get back to it.

Reaching out towards the files, I searched for Koneko's and pulled it out of the pile before opening it and pouring the pages onto the desk before me. Ignoring the information about her combat abilities, something I already knew, and her time with the Gremorys, I quickly sought out the information about her early history.

When I finally found the pages I was looking for, I separated them form the rest and leaned back on my chair as I began reading the report. But as soon as I glance at the first paragraph I almost leapt out of my chair in surprise.

What the hell? This can't be right!

Almost the entirety of the first page had been censored out. Sentences and entire paragraphs were crossed out with thick black lines. I quickly skimmed through the rest of the pages and had found nearly half of the file had been censored.

But that doesn't make any sense. I didn't withdraw these files from the public archive, I used my authority as a Maou's Queen to get them. I had access to more classified information that even the Clan heads of the 72 Pillars. I was even allowed to know about God's death and most of the Underworld's dirty secrets. There shouldn't be anything here that I wasn't allowed to see.

So why was this censored out, a mistake? I picked up Koneko's folder and looked at the front cover. Printed out in large red fonts was 'Authorized to be read by Emiya Shirou's eyes only'. So no, it wasn't a mistake.

Setting the folder back down, I frowned at the new mystery that I had ended up stumbling over. As if I needed another. It seems that there is more to our little cat than I thought. I picked up her file again and began reading. For now, I'll have to make do with what I have on hand. But what I get back to the Underworld, I'm gonna be having a few words with whoever was censoring these files.

I began to read about what was available on Koneko's history, and the further I read about her the darker it seemed to get. Toujou Koneko, born as Shirone, was a Nekomata who was a part of a rare and dying sub-species known as _Nekoshou_. Orphaned at young age, she and her sister, Kuroka, were forced to live on the streets for several years before they were taken in by a Devil named Alexander Shax, who recruited Kuroka into his peerage as a Bishop.

For a while things began to look up for Koneko but that didn't last long before disaster struck. Her sister Kuroka was a practitioner of the Art of Senjutsu and had one day had lost control of her power, causing her to go on a rampage which resulted in the death of their master. Kuroka was able to quickly escape and a man-hunt was formed in an effort to capture her, however in her haste to escape she had left her sister behind.

This incident has caused the relationship between Devils and Yokai, which has already been strained badly in recent years, to become utterly shredded. The death of Alexzander Shax had sparked what was basically a witch hunt in the Underworld for Nekoshous. Within the week almost the entire remaining Nekoshous were either driven out of the Underworld or lynched, resulting in over twenty three death. None of the people responsible for the lynching were ever arrested or charged.

During this time Koneko was immediately captured and imprisoned. She had been kept in captivity for almost two months before she was even trialed.

The more I read, the more my temper built. I could feel what little control I had fraying at the seams as I read at how an innocent ten year old girl was arrested for committing no crime, how they left her to rot in a prison for months and how they were about to legally execute her and only though the quick intervention of Sirzechs was her life even spared.

I had never felt more gratefully to Sirzechs in my life in that moment but whatever gratitude I felt had quickly evaporated when I read the lines and what remaining restrained I still had snapped.

"Sirzechs you complete and utter moron! You gave an emotionally unstable and abused child to a 12 year old girl _AS A PET_!" I slammed my hands onto the table with so much force it actually fractured it as I leapt out and yelled. "I don't care how many hugs and kisses your sister gives her, that will not help heal the wounds, just mask it."

I just glared at the file before me as if it was responsible for this. I thought back to the day on the roof when we first met, to her terrified eyes, how she trembles and shivered from an unexpected touch. I thought of the face so empty of emotion, something that should never be worn by a child. How long has she been wearing it? How long has she been hiding her emotions? I remember the small glimpse of her soul, of a girl building walls around herself. Too long, I decided.

No, that girl's wounds were anything but healed.

I actually snarled as I read the next line. Rias Gremory changed her name to Koneko, _Koneko._ Japanese for kitten. She named a girl kitten? And no one told her that she wasn't supposed to be her _pet!_

I didn't blame the Gremory girl for this, oh no, she was just as innocent as Koneko in this whole thing. She was nothing more than a child back then. It was painfully obvious to anyone she treated Koneko as best as she knew how. But what the hell was Sirzechs thinking giving the responsibility of another thinking feeling living being, _not an animal, _to a twelve year old?

Quickly skimming through the rest of the file I realized he didn't even arrange any form of therapy. He just dumped her on Rias Gremory's lap and left Koneko's recovery entirely up to her, since as part of her Peerage it was her responsibility. She was _twelve_! Why you place the responsibility of an abused child in the hands of another child! Am I the only one who sees the insanity in that?

I couldn't take it anymore; I just shoved the entire file off the table and collapsed back into my chair. Leaning my head as far back into the headrest as I could, I shut my eyes and took deep breath as I forced myself to calm down and think.

What were you thinking Sirzechs? I know you're not stupid, far from it. You wouldn't do something like this unless you had very good reason but for the life of me I can't figure out what.

I know that Gremory treated Koneko well, as best as she was able to. Of that I had no doubt, but she was simply not equipped to take care of physically abused and emotionally scarred little girl and I know Sirzechs was aware of that too. So why did he give Koneko to her?

_Enough_. There was no point thinking about it, the past was the past and there was nothing I could change it. I cast my eyes around the room for something, anything to direct me from my current thoughts.

When my eyes landed on the files of the rest of the Peerage, I decided that researching their pasts would be as good a distraction as anything. I picked up the top folder and began reading them.

By the time I was finished I just stared at the file in disbelief. Quickly I reached out to the other file and read that too, then the other and the other.

"W-what the hell is going on?"

Kiba, Akeno, Gasper and hell even Issei, all of them, every single last one of her Peerage were dead or about to die when she recruited them. All of them except Issei had no home to return to. That's just not possible.

_Rias has never actually had to work at convincing any one of them to join her. Half of them were either dead or dying when she found them and the other half had no place to return to and were more or less homeless orphans._

Sona's words came back to me as I looked over the file. I knew she said that but I thought she was exaggerating. Even if you take into account a Devil's luck, Gremory's is nowhere near strong enough to explain this. Nothing less than a Super Devil can come close to explaining this luck.

And it all happened in such a short span of time. Rias ended up recruiting Akeno just a week after she gained her Evil Piece Set. And from then she went on to recruit Koneko, Kiba and Gasper in less than two years. How many dead or dying children does she keep running into? She was a Clan Heir, a glorified princess, why did her watchers even allowed her to come close to a place where children die? And why did this only happen after she received her Peerage set?

_Each and every one of her Peerage just seemed to fall onto her lap with her barely having to lift a finger. To make matter even more unbelievable, every one of them either has a powerful Sacred Gears or a powerful bloodline._

And every one of them happened to be first-rate Peerage material? Not even one was an ordinary human? No, not possible. The odds of that happening are so small it might as well be zero. There are too many coincidences for this to be just chance. Someone must have arranged this. Someone must have set this all up…

… Sirzechs you Bastard!

No- no that's impossible. Now I'm just projecting my feelings. Think about it. I know Sirzechs and while he is many things, he is not a cold blooded-murderer. Especially not of children, there is no way he'd ever hurt one. He wouldn't – lift_ a finger to harm so much as a hair on his head – _Rias Gremory's words interrupted my thoughts

…he would just take advantage of their deaths. Not for himself, but his sister – _Rias always had incredible luck when it comes to finding her peerage. It was like the hand of some god guiding her._

An act of God and an act of a Devil can seem remarkably similar at times.

Quickly I picked up Kiba's file again and scanned through it. Kiba was one of the victims of the 'Holy Sword Project'. Valper Galilei, the person in charge of the project, wanted to hide the details of the experiments from prying eyes so he set up the laboratory in one of the most isolated places he could find.

He choose a large patch of unused land that the churched owned in the northern part of the Taiga Forest in Russia. It was a remote and inaccessible place by non-magical means. Dozens of miles from the nearest town and nothing but thick woodland in between, it was a perfect place from him to conduct his project.

Kiba was found wandering in the middle of the forest in the opposite direction of the town, having lost his way. He had collapsed and was already dying when he was found by Gremory.

What was Rias Gremory, a twelve year old Heir of one of the 72 Pillar with an incredibly overprotective older brother, doing alone in the middle of the Church's territory located in the human world? Far away from any form of Civilization or Devil controlled territory?

Setting Kiba's file aside I picked up Akeno's next. The link was even easier to see in this one.

Akeno was born to a human mother and a Fallen father. When she was ten, Akeno's mother was killed by her father's enemies. Without her mother there to protect her, Akeno's family soon kicked her out onto the street due to her Fallen blood.

Having just turned twelve, Akeno had indirectly saved a human that was contracted by a Devil from the Gremory Clan. Terrified that the Devil would try and kill her due to her Fallen Angel heritage, she ran and hid from him.

Unfortunately while it she had succeeded from escaping from the Devil, she was captured by her relatives when she was trying to escape town. They were there to kill her but before her grand-uncle could land the killing blow he was stopped by Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa, the Gremory Clan Head's Bishop. Up until that point there was nothing too out of the ordinary, however what was unusual is that he had Rias with him.

Why did he bring Rias along? What was the Gremory Heir doing there in the first place? And was it just a coincidence that they appeared in the very last possible moment to save her but not earlier?

Tossing Akeno's file aside I reached for the last one, the file belonging to Gasper Vladi.

Like the other three, Gasper had a tragic past. Born to a human and a Vampire, Gasper's life went wrong for the very beginning. His mother passed away soon after his birth not due labor complications but because she looked upon Gasper's true form and died from fright.

This event had resulted in his father along with the rest of his relatives becoming extremely frightened of him. Combine with his Dampier heritage, Gasper was mistreated so badly by his family that he decided to run away.

During his escape he was found and killed by Vampire Hunters.

Again this is where it gets strange. Vampires, unlike many other supernatural being, don't live in the Underworld but the human world. North-Eastern Europe to be exact. Gasper was killed in the middle of the wilderness of that region as he was attempting to escape the Vampire Hunters. What was Rias Gremory, a thirteen year old Heiress who was once again alone, doing there in the first place?

Then there was Issei. How did the Fallen suspect that Issei had a Sacred Gear? His magical presence was so weak that Rias only found about it by pure luck. And even then Akeno had to literally run into him to notice, before then they had been going to the same school for months but no one realized he had a Sacred Gear. If things played out different it was entirely possible that Issei could have lived out his whole life without anyone realizing he had a Sacred Gear.

Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action. This did not happen once or twice but every single time. Akeno in Japan, Koneko in the underworld, Kiba in Russia, Gasper in Europe and now Issei again in Japan. Everyone only joined Gremory because they would have died if they didn't, and yet not one of them had done a single thing wrong.

There was no way that Rias Gremory could have planned this. Setting aside her age I seriously doubt that she would have been willing to go through with all of this just to get Peerage members, despite what she did to Issei. Which meant just like the other involved she was being manipulated unknowingly by a third party.

And while I had no proof, I have a very good idea of who that third party was.

Sirzechs was a great Maou, though I did not like to admit it he was probably better at his job than Serafall. I knew that he is willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to protect the Underworld. Even if it meant sacrificing his life, I knew he would do it willingly with a smile if it was to protect his beloved nation.

He did however have one fatal flaw. Something that could ruin us all. He would put his family and their happiness above everything else, even his own or his nation. As an individual, such a trait would have been a virtue. As a Ruler, it was a flaw.

There was a brand of madness unique to Devils, a type of insanity born from their Sin. It rules them in a way human minds simply cannot comprehend, it twists them in a way people simply weren't meant to imagine. With Sirzechs it ruled over his Peerage and his family. He would happily see the whole world burn before giving up a single one of them.

If he was forced to kill one to save a thousand, Sirzechs would kill the one with a heavy heart. If that one was his family or Peerage, Sirzechs would massacre a million rather than the one. He would not even hesitate.

As a Maou he cannot show outright favoritism to his family, the Lords and people will rebel. However if he uses more subtle and less obvious methods to help them, then no one can complain. Helping his little sister get a powerful Peerage, one that could protect her when he couldn't, was something he would badly want.

If you look at in a certain way he did nothing wrong. After all, all he did was arrange a meeting. One between his sister and her future Peerage. And if he had to take advantage of a few dying children, well he was known as the Lord of Demons for a reason. You don't get a title like that for being nice after all. To Sirzechs, there was nothing that he won't do to protect his family, no price too high to pay.

Unfortunately he was not the only Maou who was like this. To protect Sona, I know that there is very little that Serafall is unwilling to do. Whether that was a good thing or bad I was still not sure.

I barked out a bitter laugh. What a mess, and the worst part of it there is nothing I can do about it. All of this occurred year ago, so long in the past it might as well be ancient history as far as I can do anything to change it.

I slumped into my chair and was about to put down Gasper's file when something caught my attention. On the bottom of the page, a few additional lines were penciled in. Lifting the file before I carefully read what was written.

_Gasper Vladi's suffers from poor control over his Sacred Gear. Due to Rias Gremory's lack of power to contain him or his power, it was decided that Gasper was to be sealed away until the time that Rias Gremory matures enough as a Devil to control him._

_As of the beginning of last year Gasper Vladi has been sealed away in the basement of the Kuoh Academy's old school building. He has not been let out ever since._

Letting the file fall from my fingers and onto the desk, I slowly leaned back into my chair. I inhaled deeply and shut my eyes and attempted to calm the emotions raging inside of me.

My desk fractured then exploded, sending splinters flying all across the room.

It didn't work.

Calmly I stood up, picked up my jacket and made my way out of the room. Enough was enough, I was tired of watching children get hurt as I sat back and did nothing. I didn't care about the consequences anymore.

There was nothing I could do about the past, but the present was an entirely different matter.

* * *

Violet sparks of magic leapt from rune to rune, casting the wooden surface in an ominous flickering light. Circles crafted from lines of an archaic language, one that I did not recognize, rotated in place like gears of an intricate clock. There was about two dozen of them, though the ones that stood out the most was the four in each corner of the door and the large crimson one bearing the Gremory seal in the middle, the only part of the design that wasn't violet.

Even just standing next to the seal, I could feel the power of it. It felt like a physical thing, radiating like waves of heat from an oven. The amount of power it held was staggering, more than enough to contain even an Ultimate-Class Devil.

This was the seal that blocked the only entrance to the basement. It prevented anyone from entering or exiting the place no matter what method used. It blocks any living being from teleporting inside and blocks any physical attempt on circumventing the seal. Breaking through the walls or digging down to the basement will not work.

It also prevented any high amount of magic from leaking out of the place. At best the only magic anyone inside the seal could send to the outside would be magical based messages, although it did nothing to block any of the more mundane forms of commutations.

And behind it was a young boy that hadn't seen the light of day in nearly two years.

It would have taken months for someone who knew what he was doing to take apart the seal. Even a master of the craft would have needed weeks to decipher and unlock the seal without permission from its creator.

I didn't feel like waiting.

In my hands I traced a dagger. Its blade was jagged and iridescent, too brittle and blunt to ever be used as a proper weapon. It was clearly a ceremonial dagger, one unsuited for combat. However anyone who sets their eyes on it could tell it was dangerous at an almost instinctive level. It had an ominous and perverse feeling to it that even the most obtuse would notice. Its name was Rule Breaker.

I stabbed the dagger right into the heart of the Gremory circle and watched as the seal, one capable of holding back the strength of powerful demons with the utmost ease, collapse like a house of cards.

A small part of me, one that wasn't clouded with anger, thought that it was a beautiful sight. A cross between fireworks and a stone being tossed into a still lake, the runes flashed and burned in multicolored sparks as they fell apart, starting from the middle and spreading outwards like a rippling wave.

In a matter of seconds the entire seal collapsed and all that remained before me was a mundane door. It wouldn't be long now until someone arrives to investigate, not after the collapse of such a powerful seal. So without any hesitation I reached out, open the door and made my way down the stairs into the lair of a Dead Apostle.

The place was as expected dark, though it did nothing to hinder my sight. Still, as I made my way down the stairs I braced myself for whatever horrors may await me at the end of the stairs. Child or not Gasper was till a vampire, a Dead Apostle and I was about to enter his domain.

While I had never been on a true Dead Apostle hunt in my old world, though I did encounter a couple of their kind before, I had heard stories. Of towns wiped out over the course of a single night, as its population were turned to the mindless dead. How monsters wearing the faces of people, of children, would mindlessly attack anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path.

Lairs were worse, as that was the Dead Apostle's home ground, a place where the spent most of their days in than any another location. They were rarely ever found as Dead Apostles would cover it with a unique form of Bounded Fields that would make the place invisible to both mundane and magical means of discovery. They were so well hidden that even trained Magi from the Mage Association need years of effort to find even a single one.

That was why I didn't know what I may find down there, discovering one was so rare that I have never had the chance to ask what to expect to find in one. Still it wasn't hard to guess that no matter what form it took it will be a living hell, horrors straight out of a nightmare that will be forever seared into my mind.

As I set foot on the basement's floor I finally got a chance to a proper look around me and to find that my suspicions was correct. No it was worse, far worse than I had pictured it to be, more horrifying than I could have ever imagined it to be. As even in my worst nightmares I hadn't expect to find a place that was so…so…pink.

By the dead God, there was so much pink that I felt my eyes burn and water just by looking around the place.

The walls were covered with pink and white striped wall paper and despite not having any windows, there were several dark pink curtains covering patches of wall. The wooden cabinet and furniture that decorated the room were painted in different shades of pink. There were even brown teddy bears and black bunny rabbits that had their plastic eyes colored pink.

What made it worse was all the lace and ribbons that covered the room. The computer monitor in one corner of the room was set on pink cloth and had its edges lined with some kind of lacy pink design. Even the wide-screen television that was set in the middle of the wall was placed on top of a pink stand.

For a moment I thought I made a wrong turn somewhere and ended up in hell. I was just about to turn around and leave when I caught sight of the coffin in the middle of the room. The lid was placed slightly adjured and hidden deep within its shadow, I could see a pair of frightened magenta eye peering out at me.

Before I had a chance to say so much as a word those eyes flash with a yellow and ruby light, as Gasper active his Sacred Gear.

* * *

Rias Gremory, along with the rest of her Peerage, just stared in utter disbelief at the sight before her.

"_Ha_ \- Headshot, take that you freaking newb!"

Just a few minutes ago she had been running down the corridors of the old school building after having collected the rest of her Peerage. They had all sensed the magical discharge that the collapse of Gasper's seal had caused.

They did not realized what it was right away and had wasted several minutes trying to figure out the cause. It was only after Akeno, who was the most magically sensitive of the group, sense that seal over Gasper's room was missing did they comprehend what happened.

As they had rushed down the halls and stairs to Gasper's room her worried mind conjured up every possible scenario that may have happened, each on worse than the other. Did the Vampire-Hunters track down Gasper again? Was his family trying to take him back? Or had whoever murdered the Fallen decided to strike at her Peerage next?

But still, for all the terrible things she imagined,-

"AH-HA, I just pwned your ass. Dude, you suck at this."

-She sure as hell didn't expect this.

There before her was Gasper and Serafall's Queen, Emiya, sitting in front of Gasper's widescreen television. In their hands was a gaming controller and they were playing some kind of first-person shooter game.

When she and her Peerage barged into Gasper's room, they could do nothing but wordlessly stare in disbelief at the sight. Well, it would be more accurate to say that she and Kiba were the only ones to be staring in disbelief as he was the only one that looked just as shocked as she was.

Koneko just stared unnervingly at the platter of homemade snacks that was placed between Emiya and Gasper, something that Emiya apparently brought with him. Going by the way her eyes never left the food since we entered the room, it seemed that her Rook didn't much cared about what else was going on.

Akeno on the other hand had just dropped to her knees as she broke out into a fit of laughter. It was at times like this that she really hated her Queen's twisted sense of humor.

"BOOM! Another Headshot! Buwahahahaha." Her cute and beloved Bishop began cackling like a deranged maniac after having successful shot a characters head off. She knew, just knew, she shouldn't have gotten him that Xbox live subscription.

Gasper hasn't been the same ever since.

"Oh Buchou! You'll never believe it." Gasper having finally caught sight of her called out to her. A part of her noted that her bishop, so caught up in his apparent excitement, didn't speak with his usual stutter or habit of stretching out words.

"Shirou here isn't effected by my Sacred Gear. That means I can hang around him without hurting anybody! He said he can help me learn how to control it. He even offered me a room to crash in his place while he helps me trains. Can I go live with him? Can I please~?" Her Bishop pouted at her with such wide puppy eyes, that if it were at any other time she wouldn't have been able to resist glomping the stuffing out of him. As it was, she was still a little bit too out of it to do anything but stare.

When she turned to look towards Emiya for an explanation she found him utterly ignoring her as he gaped at something on the television screen.

"Is that teabagging? Did you just teabag me! Cut that out you little brat." He yelled out will point at the screen where Gasper's avatar was apparently repeatedly squatting over Emiya's avatar's face.

She had never face palmed harder in her life.

* * *

***Story end***

**Author's Notes:**

That's it for the new chapter, I hope you all liked it.

As for Gasper, let's admit it, even in Canon Gasper was an internet junkie. Is it that much of a surprise that he got addicted to online gaming? Don't worry, as you'll see in the next chapter he's still pretty much Canon Gasper…As long as you don't get him behind a control that is.

The Gasper thing was something I always thought of as messed up. Even in Canon it was said that they sealed him in a room because Rias didn't have enough power to control him. So why didn't they just leave him with someone that can take care of him and help him learn to control his powers? At least until she gets strong enough to do it herself. Why the hell was 'let's lock a thirteen year old boy in the basement for a few years until she's ready' ever a freaking option? Who's insane idea was it?

**Cliché number 4**: I think Gabriel Blessing said it best in his story 'Beyond the Outer Gate Lies' when Harry met an angel for the first time and thought 'He looks just like a normal man with a pair of dove wings strapped to his back". One of my biggest Pet Peeves of the DxD verse is that everybody in it acts like a normal human. And I mean everybody from Angels to Gods to millennia old Dragons. That ain't going to happen here. Fallen Angels are supposed to be charming, beautify and seductive creatures that are fundamentally flawed in some way and that is exactly how they're going to behave here.

**My world is much darker place than Canon**: as a consequence many of the characters have done and will do many things that they aren't proud of. All of the Satans, Serafall included, had to get their hands dirty and make tough choices during the war. It was a _Civil_ war after all, where they had to fight Devils who may have been family or friends at one point. Plus in Canon we know that Sirzechs is not above using his power to manipulate people to make his sister happy (the guy had a gryphon prepared as a getaway car to help his sister out of a political marriage). Let me remind you that Sirzechs has one major personality flaw in my story that he doesn't in Canon– his Sin of Greed, how will that affect him?

Plus this story is being told form Shirou's point of view and even he himself admitted he was Biased.

Remember in this story Devils aren't the good guys. They may not be Evil but they won't be good by any stretch of the imagination. In Canon Diodora Astaroth could legally rape and torture his Peerage, and no one did a thing about it. And finally, please realize that Devils are NOT HUMANS, so do not be surprised if many of them act like, well, Devils. This will apply for the rest of the species in the story; anything that's not human will not behave like humans. So do not hold them to human moral standards.

**Why does Shirou not act like Canon**: that is because this isn't Canon Shirou, right from the start of the fire things have started to go different. It was like a butterfly effect, starts small but by the end of it huge changes occur. And I promise you I plan to reveal Shirou's past but I can't do it all in one chapter. If I give away all the answers to all the mysteries in one go not only would it result in a terrible chapter but I'll have no story to write. So please be patient and I promise to reveal it all in time. It's only the first arc after all. PS. Shirou is acting more human/normal is on purpose, the reason why will be revealed in later chapters.

**Timeline: **The Canon timeline makes no sense so it has been modified (according to wiki the Great War ended thousands of years ago, which means God died before Christ was born and the founding of Christianity).

Remember we're seeing all of this from Shirou's point of view, and he is an unreliable narrative, he doesn't see the full picture. Just because he thinks something is true does not mean it is (it doesn't mean it is't either). Please wait until Sirzechs actually appears in the story before you decide weather I'm bashing him or not.

And thank you all so much for reading.


	8. Chapter 8: The Devil's Guidebook 3

**Author's notes:**

Remember, those that want to skip can, the next chapter will be posted in a couple of minutes. Those of you reading I'd like to apologies for the shortness of this guidebook. Asia's stats was meant to be added in the end of this chapter but due to real life problems I didn't have time to finish but I promise to add hers in the next one.

* * *

Devil's Guidebook 3

**Holy Swords:**

Blade of unmatched power and majesty, Holy Swords are weapons crafted from divine origin and infused with holy power before being gifted upon humanity. Not to be confused with light swords (blades crafted from light) or Divine swords (blades crafted for Gods to wield), Holy Swords are blade crafter from the element of 'Holy'. They cannot be crafted by human or Devils hands as only beings that can command the Holy element such as God can craft them.

As Holy Swords are extremely harmful to Devils, as even the smallest of scratches can become potentially lethal. Even standing in the presence of a Holy Sword can cause Devils to instinctively flee in fright as they trigger a very primitive reaction in our bodies similar to the fight or flight response in human, except without the fight part because our bodies ain't stupid and wants to live.

Holy swords can only be wielded by their chosen users. While not sentient the swords are able to judge the character of anyone holding their hilt and decided whether they are worth or nor to wield them. Anyone not found worth would not be able to access into any of the swords power. Every year, all the new initiates to the Church are taken to where the unpartnered Swords are stored and are tested to see if they have the potential to wield them. Needless to say cannot be wielded by Devils as their very touch will burn us and prolonged time in its presence will greatly weaken us.

Over the course of the centuries there have been many attempts to create artificial Holy Sword users but all attempts have led to failure. However all attempts on the creation of artificial Holy Sword users have been put to a halt and banded by the Church several years ago.

This was due to the events dubbed as the 'Holy Sword Project'. Led by Valper Galilei, now known as the Genocide Archbishop, the project experimented on children who showed some potential to wield Holy Swords but were still unsuccessful in doing so.

While much of the details of the projects were erased by the Church what is known is that experiments done on the children were unethical and inhuman in nature that resulted in the painful death of many of the subjects. When details of experiments were beginning to leak out and reach the ears of his superiors, Galilei attempted to hide all traces of his activities by murdering and disposing of the remaining children. He succeeded.

However it was already too late for Galilei as the Church found out of the experiments and was captured by the Church's internal Police force and he was soon forced to stand trial.

In the end Valper Galilei and all involved in the project were found guilty and were immediately executed by the Church. Because let's be honest here, what else were they going to do? Release a child mass murderer that has earned the title of 'Genocide' into the public? In what kind of messed up alternate reality would that ever happen in?

Ever since the disaster of the Holy Sword Project the Church has issued a law that made any research into the creation of artificial Holy Swords users illegal.

**Excommunicated **

At one time in the past the Church would excommunicate members who would act in a manner that was unbecoming of a member of the Church. These included Exorcists who have gone too far and committed murder or torture.

This practice continued for many year until someone in the Church realized the releasing highly train yet mental unstable psychopathic killer into the public so that they many continue these acts of violence unsupervised, or worse and more likely join the Fallen faction, who the church was at war with, was a really _really_ stupid idea…_like duh._

Ever since the Church discovered the wonder known as common sense, every deranged Exorcist were tried then executed. Excommunication is now only used on those who have committed non-violent crime and do not pose a risk to the public themselves.

The latest Exorcist that had suffered this fate was Freed Sellzen, a young man who was once hailed as a genius as a child before proven to me a psychopath with no qualms of killing innocent humans. His finally actions before he his death was to stick his tongue out at his executioners.

**Ranks of Devils**

From top to bottom

**Ultimate Class**

Maou

Great Kings

Kings

Archdukes

Dukes

Prince/Princess

**High Class**

Marquis/Marchioness

Margrave/Margravine

Count/Countess

Viscount/Viscountess

Baron/Baroness

**Middle Class**

Baron/Baroness

Knight/Dame

**Low Class**

Commoners and Reincarnated Devils

**Trial of the Heirs**

In Devil society power is everything. No matter your bloodline or lack of one, in the end that is the only thing that matters. Even if you had the blood of commoners running through your veins if you more power than any other Devils, no one would voice a word of complaint if you became the next Maou.

Yet if that were true why do members of the 72 Pillars get better treatment, in particular to their children? The answer is potential. Time and time again the children of the Pillars have proven to grow to become incredibly powerful Devils. One needs to only look at the four Maou and the leaders of the Rating Games to see that. Each one of them is a descendent of the 72 Pillars.

However, potential is not power that is why the Heirs are not given the privileges they enjoy without a price. That price is known as the 'Trial'.

If an Heir is able to prove him or herself a powerful Devil at a young age than the Trail will not take effect, but those who fail to do so must pass the Trail.

It is based on a rather simple idea; even if the heir is weak they still have powerful abilities in their blood. So at the very least if they cannot become powerful Devils themselves then they should provide powerful children instead.

That is why every heir is engaged to powerful Devil from another clan, one that is not an heir is or likely to ever become one. The heirs are them given a single command, break out of the marriage contract using your own abilities.

It does not matter if they use their wit, cunning or raw power. That is the Trail of the Heirs, a test to for the Devils to prove themselves worthy to lead one of the 72 Pillars or to help create the next generation of Devils that will prove themselves worthy.

In the end there are three possible conclusions to the Trails. The first is for the Heir to find a way to legally break out of the contract. The second is for the heir to fail and is forced to go through with the contract and marry their bethroned. The final option is for the heir to abdicate their position as heir.

If that were to happen the former-heir would be freed from the marriage contract and from all responsibilities of the heir as they would simply become anther clan member.

The third option had never been chosen in the entire history of the Underworld.

To Devils power is everything.

There does not exist a Devil willing to surrender power, even at the cost of their own happiness.


	9. Chapter 9: Why Angels fall

**Author's notes:**

Once again thank you so much for all the support you've given me.

Now this chapter was the hardest one I've ever written (longest too). Once you read it you'll know why so I won't spoil it but those of you waiting for action rejoice. For this chapter has it all, battle, mysteries revealed, character development, everything really.

And the great news is after this chapter the story will real start going. It's like pushing a boulder up a hill, I have finally reached the top and now the plot will move on at a fast pace as the boulder rolls down. I have spent all the previous chapters developing the world and characters, setting up the stage and now we can enjoy the fruits of my ground work.

Oh, and remember. I'm still a brand spanking new author of fan fiction so if I made any stupid mistakes that makes no sense in any of my chapters, I'm more than willing to rewrite it to fix it.

Thanks for Reading and I hope you enjoy the story.

* * *

***Story Start***

Why Angels Fall

The egg batter sizzled and popped as I poured it onto the heated frying pan. While the omelets were being cooked, I turned my attention to other pan and with a wooden spoon steady stirred the chopped up bell pepper, onion and mushrooms it contained.

It surprised me how much I missed cooking breakfast. I used to do it all the time back home but I didn't have the time since arriving in the city and even in the Underworld I wasn't able to cook as much as I wanted to. I lay the blame on Serafall's household staff.

I swear her Head Chef looked like he was about to have a heart attack when he caught me cooking one morning. Whatever respect or deference he had for as a higher class Devil went out the window the moment I set foot in _his_ kitchen.

Naturally I ignored his repeated pleading and attempts to stop me until one day the poor guy just broke down crying. I think hearing Serafall absently mention that she loved my cooking better than anyone else's was the final straw for him. Turns out he had been cooking for Serafall ever since she was a little girl. There was nothing more awkward than watching a seven foot tall, five hundred year old Devil sobbing like a toddler.

Ever since, I had mostly avoided the kitchen. But now that I have moved into my own place that was no longer a problem. And seeing as today was a weekend I decided to make an extra-large breakfast as a welcoming present for Gasper moving in.

"Asia," I called out to her over my shoulder, "can you please set up the table? The food is almost ready."

"Sure thing Shirou. Table for four coming right up." She cheerfully replied.

I absently nodded as I checked the eggs again. I wasn't sure what kind of food Gasper liked so I decided to play it safe and make a western breakfast, he'd most likely prefer it to a Japanese one seeing he was raised in Europe.

It wasn't my specialty but it was a relatively simple dish so I was confident it would turn out fine. I also made sure cook extra-large portions just in case Gasper was a big eater so there was more than enough to feed him, Asia and me…wait a minute, table for four? There was only three of us.

My spatula froze just half-way through flipping the omelet as I turned and looked over my shoulder into a pair of amber colored eyes that were glittering with suppressed excitement as they stared back at me.

"Koneko, what are you doing here?"

"Hungry." She answered as if that explained everything. Really, what more did I expect?

She was seated on the table next to Gasper, while she held a fork in her right hand and knife in her left. She was wearing a black and violet shirt with a white skirt spotted with violet colored paw prints. A thin chocker was wrapped around her neck with a small plastic flower hanging off it.

Now that I think about it this is the first time I had seen her outside of her school uniform. I had gotten so used to it that I had trouble recognizing her out of it.

"Gasper," if I didn't have my hands full at the moment I would have pinched the bridge of my nose to stave off the building headache, "what are you wearing?"

"A paper bag!" He chirped excitedly. A pair of eerie pink glowing sphere shone out of two eyeholes cut into a brown paper bad that he had placed over his head. It gave the normally childlike Gasper such a malevolent appearance that I had to restrain myself from reflexively smashing him with one of my frying pans. "Koneko gave it for me! Isn't it neat?"

I just deadpanned towards Koneko who gazed back at me with her usually blank face –

_Huh?_

_-_Just for sec, I could have sworn that Koneko flashed me an evil looking smirk before it instantly disappeared. No, no I must have imagined it. There is no way Koneko could have made such a face.

After all, Cats aren't evil…right?

"And how do you expect to eat anything with that thing over your head?" I asked.

In reply, Gasper held out a fist before slowly extending his index finger upwards. He rotated his hand to that finger was pointed towards his face, in the direction of where his mouth was. With a quick thrust, he stabbed his finger through the paper bag and poked out a hole over his mouth.

"There," he said after setting down his hand, sounding rather pleased with himself, "now I can eat without taking it off." The newly made hole was being dragged in and out every time he spoke.

Why was every Devil I met insane? Cosplaying Maous, locker teleporting kittens and now cross-dressing paper bag wearing vampires. They just keep getting worse.

After flipping the eggs, I set everything down for the moment and approached Gasper. As I did so my imagination conjured a mini-Serafall, almost like one of the Angel/Devil conscious that you see in cartoons, over my left shoulder and she began to whisper something into my ear.

As I approached Gasper, I held out my hands and projected a particular set of clothing with a matching mask onto them. Crouching down once I reached him so I was eye level I held out the newly made bundle, "Here," I nodded towards my arms, "wear these instead. I'm sure you'd feel more comfortable in it than a paper bag."

Even through the paper bag I could see the way his eyes widened as he recognized what I was holding out. Quickly, he snatched the cloths out of my hands and rushed into one of the side rooms to change while throwing a quick 'Thanks Shirou' over his shoulder.

As the sound of the door slamming shut reached me I turned back to my cooking. Once I was sure Gasper wasn't to return for some reason I asked, "So Koneko, is food the only reason you're here?"

From the corner of my eyes I caught her shrugging as I prepared a new batch of eggs and bacon for Koneko. "Buchou wanted someone to checkup on Gasper," She answered, "I volunteered."

I grinned at that, "And I'm sure that it was Gasper's wellbeing that made you volunteer, not your hunger."

She simply pointed to herself in reply, "Devil. Not Angel."

A chuckle escaped me at that while I thought back to the events of last night. Truthfully what I did was reckless and stupid to say the least and I could have gotten into a lot of trouble for it. But I simply couldn't bring myself to care, consequences be damned.

I'm still surprised that I didn't get into any real trouble as it is. Rias Gremory was surpassingly tolerant once she got over her shock at the situation. Having caught me red-handed, all she needed to do was report me and I'd have been in a shit-storm of trouble.

Yet the worse she did was to give me a stern talking to about what she'll do to me if I mistreated Gasper even the slightest. She didn't outright say it but I had a feeling she felt more than a little bit guiltily for Gasper's situation and blamed herself for her lack of power to look after him.

Well, either that or the way she kept muttering how she was used to the Leviathan's brand of madness after all her sleepovers at Sona's and should have expected it from her Queen. What did Serafall do to those poor girls?

In hindsight I can clearly see her point. While interfering with someone else's Peerage is a serious offence, doubly so when said Peerage member was sealed away because he was too dangerous, can you image everyone's reaction when she reports this? Considering how much her reputation had taken a hit after the Boosted Gear fiasco, how will the council respond when she complains 'He broke his way into my Bishop's room to play video games with him. I caught him red-handed in the act as my bishop was in the process of teabagging him, repeatedly'.

Still I ended up a dodging a bullet there as even in the best case scenario I would have been pulled out from the city and both Serafall's and my reputation would have taken a hit, something we cannot afford right now, if she reported me.

"The table's ready Shirou." Asia called out from where she had been silently setting up the table.

"Perfect timing as I'm just about done." I turned and hollered over my shoulder, "Gasper, foods ready. You better get out here or else Koneko's likely to steal you share." The girl in question didn't even have the decency to look ashamed as she gave a nod of agreement.

A black blur streaked thought the kitchen's entrance and leapt onto the back of Gasper's chair where it perched there like a bird. A black cape that was being held in place by his hands covered Gasper's form from view for the moment before he yelled out and threw his cape wide open, "_I AM THE NIGHT!" _And revealed his Batman costume

Yes, I gave the Bat-boy a Bat suit.

The imaginary little Serafall that I still had sitting on my shoulder was cackling so hard she ended up falling over backwards causing her to slip off of my shoulder. Even as I heard the imaginary little thump as she hit the ground I could still hear her manic laughter all the way down.

* * *

"Ah~, that's better," she sighed out as she settled down on the sofa, "I apologies for being the first to sit down young Sitri, but these old bones of mine aren't what they used to be."

"It's quite alright," Sona sat across from her as she replied, "I don't believe that now is the time to worry about such things as protocol."

"Ha!" The old nun barked out, "If I was dealing with the old Sitri Heir, protocol would have been thrown out the window no matter what the circumstances may be." She turned towards one of her two companions that were standing on either side of her, "It's a shame you didn't get a chance to meet her Irina, I have a feeling you two would have gotten along."

"Whatever you say boss." The light brown hair girl replied with a cheery smile, though her hard violet eyes never relaxed as she watched the rest of the Council room's occupants. She stood next to the right of the nun and though there was more than enough room on the sofa for her and the other girl, neither opted to sit down. Instead both remained watchful and alert, a contrast to the nun's relaxed and amiable demeanor.

Despite being female, both of the girls that bracketed the nun like book ends were dressing up in black suits with dark blue dress shirt and neckties giving them a mature and professional look in spite of their young age.

The girl on the nun's left side was carrying a golf bag over her left shoulder, although going by how she made sure to keep her gloved hand near its open flap I'd wager that she was had a weapon of some kind hidden inside.

This second girl had chin-length blue hair with a streak of green on the right side of her bangs similar to my white one. Her yellow eyes calmly scanned the room while her entire demeanor projected self-confidence even though she was outnumbered three to one.

However it was the nun that stood out the most of three. Locks of hair, turned snow white with age, escaped her habit and fell down her face. Wrinkles edged her deep blue eyes and the corner of her lips, yet the rest of her face was remarkably smooth. Her hands that gripped the wooden cane before her was strong and hardened with callouses.

Despite her earlier words, it was clear that her age did little to slow her down. One just had to watch how she moved to see the obvious strength she still held within her small frame. And while her grandmotherly smile was genuine, it did little to mask how dangerous she was.

"You know my sister?" Sona politely asked.

"You could say that lass. I and my old friends ran into her a few times when I was just a little bit older than you are now. Of course more often than not we soon ended up running _away_ from her as she started to rain down hails of spikes on our heads. We had an idiot in our group that couldn't resist comparing her to Gabriel and finding her lacking, of course he had to make sure to mention it to her each time we met." Though she was chuckling it was clear that she was being serious.

"Anyway, enough about ancient history. I'm sure you're wondering what we're doing here." Her smile faded a bit as the conversation began to take a more serious turn but it didn't disappear completely.

Sona ignore the tea that Tsubasa placed on the table as adjusted her glasses, "Yes, I admit I'm quite curious," She leaded forward and steepled her hands as she spoke, "for the church to send an exorcist into my territory is not a common event by any means, let alone one of your repute. Even in my generation the name Griselda Quarta holds more than a little weight."

While not as active as she used to be, Griselda Quarta was once of the most feared humans of her generation. Born with neither a Sacred Gear nor high magical potential, she was able to fight her way to the top with her sword skills alone, making her among most powerful exorcist in the Church's history.

Though that alone would have made her dangerous, the real source of her fame occurred about forty years ago when she and three of her comrades, fellow exorcists from the church, were able to take down a powerful Ultimate-Class Devil without a single loss on her side. That all four of them were only human beings without a Sacred Gear between the lot of them only made the accomplishment even more remarkable.

When the guards informed me of her arrival into the city, I drop everything I was doing and made sure to track her every movement from the sky. While I'm far from a skilled flyer and would be hopeless in an aerial battle of any kind, I was good enough to stay afloat from high-up and watch them, though I made sure to maintain my distance in case anyone one of them could sense me.

It quickly became apparent that they were heading towards the school so I decided to get here ahead of them and inform Sona that I happened to spot a couple of exorcists on their way here. And that's how we ended up here in the Student Council room, filled with Sona's entire Peerage, myself and three exorcists.

"Thank you dear." Griselda told Tsubasa as she took her offered tea and took a quick sip before setting it down. "Well, let's get straight to the point shall we? We came here as representatives of the Church to make a request. Well, two requests actually. The first and foremost we require any information you may have pertaining to the missing Excaliburs."

What? From the ripple of surprise that ran through the rest of the Devils in the room, it was clear that I wasn't the only one who was caught off guard.

"The Excaliburs?" Sona, recovering quickly questioned. "What makes you believe we know anything about them? Other than four of them being stolen a few days earlier we have no further knowledge about them."

Though Griselda's little smile was still in place she observed Sona with an almost frightening intensity when she was speaking, before she shut them and physically appeared to relax as some previous hidden tension seemed to leave her body. "So it's true then, looks like you Devils didn't have anything to with it after all." Though she muttered it under her breath is was loud enough for most of the Devils in the room to hear her, if barely.

Opening her eyes again she gave Sona an amiable nod, "In that case we retract the first request, and we'll move straight onto the second one." She paused to take another sip of her tea before continuing, "While I apologize if this sounds rather presumptuous of us, we the Church officially request permission to scout this city, including your territory of course."

"For the Excaliburs," Sona having quickly put the pieces together, "you think they're here?"

"Did you think that this was the first time an Excalibur went missing?" Griselda countered Sona's question with one of her own, "It is only natural for a valuable sword to be stolen if it's wielders were ever to be slain in battle, and yet the Church still fields the Excaliburs instead of storing them in the great vault underneath the Vatican, like all the other valuable but impractical treasures. Have you ever wondered why we do so?"

Sona didn't even need a moment to answer, "You can track them."

"Correct," Griselda beamed at her as if she was a student how got a right answer, "in the last one and a half millennia that the Church has possessed the Excaliburs we have lost them dozens of times yet never for long as you can see we still have all seven pieces. Well," she added with a sheepish smile, "had anyway."

"And you tracked them all the way from Europe to Japan, how?"

She simply gave her a cheesier smile, "We have our ways."

Makes sense why they wouldn't want anyone to know how they tack down the swords. You can't prevent it from working if you have no idea how it worked. Considering that no one has figured it out for over a thousand years it's possible for Griselda herself not to know and is only receiving instructions from the higher ups back in Church.

Sona remained silent for a minute as she digested all this before asking, "Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if I refuse your request?"

"Then the Church will declare you an accessory to the thief." She shrugged, "Sorry dear, but we're pretty sure that the swords are here and the higher ups are desperate to get them back after the embarrassment of having four of them stolen at the same time. Now I can tell you _that_ has never happened before."

If Sona was upset over the implied threat she hid it well, "And you're confident that you can get the Excaliburs back, with just the three of you?"

"Oh don't worry dear," her perpetual smile never wavering, "we have our own trump cards just in case. Permit me to demonstrate you. Irina, Xenovia show them."

At her command the two girls on either side of her withdrew they weapons. The blue haired girl, Xenovia, reached into her golf bag and withdrew a sword. It was long two-handed sword, easily reaching the girls shoulder in length. A pair of axe-like guards bracketed its cross shaped pommel and the tip of the blade ended in three points. The steel of the sword was colored an ash black, with red designs carved into the blade.

The other girl, Irina, simply held out her right hand. A black band that was wrapped around her wrist rippled then slithered down onto the palm of her gloved hand like a snake. Once she took a firm grip on it, it began to shift again. This time it transformed into a golden hilted katana.

Griselda also took the opportunity to reveal her sword. Gripping her wooden cane with both hands, she gave it a quick twist then a pull. The top was of the cane was easily retracted, revealing the naked steel of the blade concealed within the heart of the wood, a sword-cane then.

All around me the Devils in the room visibly flinched and took a step back at the mere sight of the blades. Those of them that were seated pushed themselves back deeper into their chairs in an effort to get as far away from the swords as they could, even Sona was no exception, as entirely primal instinct within them urged them to run and flee. To get away from the things that could end them with so much as a single cut.

"It has always been the Church's policy to hunt down stolen Excaliburs with other Excaliburs." Griselda continued speaking with same friendly smile on her face, as if she hadn't noticed the reactions of the Devils in the room. "After all lass, even if they have gotten their hands on a couple of Holy Swords it doesn't mean that they have anyone capable of wielding them. Holy Sword wielders don't grow on tree you know."

"Pfft!" I clamped a hand over my mouth in an attempt to keep quite but it was no use. Even through my hands the sound of my muffled laughter was loud enough to capture everyone's attention, though I barely noticed. I tried I swear I tried, but I simply couldn't hold it in, "Bwahahahahahahaha!"

For the first time since entering, Griselda completely lost her smile as she shot my chortling frame a bemused look. I was seated on my own over to her left, perpendicular to Sona and herself. "Is something amusing lad?"

"I-I'm sorry," I managed to squeeze out between fits of laughter as I finally began to calm down, "I really am, I didn't mean to laugh. It's just that the way you all look so serious as you refer to those toys in your hands as Excalibur, I could not help but laugh."

It's true. Ever since I heard of the broken Excaliburs, I was worried how I'd react. The very idea of her sword being broken sent shaft of pain through me. What the sight of the fragmented remains would do to me I did not know. Would I break down at the sight of them, be angered at their angry fate or react in a completely different way entirely, I did not know.

But when I set my eyes upon these toys, and they _were _toys, what else could I do but that laugh at the absurdity of it all. That this entire mad universe I had found myself in would refer to these things as Excaliburs was ludicrous.

They were D rank Noble phantasm at best and that was if I was being extremely generous. Oh sure, their abilities were reasonably impressive and may have earned them a C rank if it weren't for the swords themselves being so very _fragile_. Strikes that even Kanshou and Bakuya, C- ranked Noble Phantasm, can endure with nothing more than a scratch would cause these toys to shatter in a single blow.

What can I do but laugh at a world that would name these Excalibur?

"Oh," She cocked her head to one side as she gave me the same scrutinizing look she gave Sona a moment ago, "and what makes you call them toys lad?"

"It's just that those swords you are holding are so fragile that I can crush them in the grip of a single hand. That the Church is so desperate for such meaningless toys that it sent some of its best exorcist to traverse half the globe for a weapon I can snap in two with nothing but my own bare hands, and to name such toys Excalibur on top of it all is so utterly ridiculous that I could not help but laugh."

"Stop bluffing Devil." A voice growled out at me. I looked up to find the blue haired exorcist glaring down at me. While the girl had reminded quiet and calm the entire meeting, her temper had clearing been building up since I first broke down laughing and it looked like it a had finally gotten the better of her. "No matter how hard you try to hide it behind false bravado, your kind can't do anything but cower in front of the might of these swords."

Then she swung her sword at me. It was clearly wasn't meant to hit me, the strike would fall short of my face by several inches at least. It was a feint, a weak but fast one-handed blow that was meant to make me recoil and scurry back in fear.

I can already see from the edges of my vision how the rest of the Devils tensed or jumped in reaction to her swing and even Griselda narrowed her eyes in disapproval but didn't otherwise react. Me, I didn't even bother to do anything but raise my right hand and snatch the blade just as it passed my face.

"Bluffing?" I questioned, ignoring her the way her eyes widened with disbelief and instead gave my entire focus to the naked blade I gripped in my hand. "Oh no, I wasn't bluffing. For you see, all I have to do to crush this mockery of a sword is _squeeze_." I then proceeded to do just that.

A horrible screeched reverberated within the walls of a Student Council room when the metal of the blade _screamed_ under the mounting pressure of my ever tightening grip as hairline fractures began to form. With a single glance I could tell that the blade will shatter entirely if I squeezed just a little bit-

"_Shirou_!" a voice yelled out to me at the same moment a hand clamped into my shoulder. I turned to see Sona starting at me with half worried and half unsettled eyes, "Shirou," she spoke the words slowly, almost as if she was talking to a particular dull witted child, "would you please not destroy the very valuable and very important sword that our guests from the Church are willing to kill over."

I looked away from her towards the sword in my hand, and then up towards the wide eyed stares of not only the exorcists but the rest of Student Council. "Oh," I muttered lamely before letting go of the sword which was quickly pulled away by its unsettled wielder.

Alright, it appears that I may have been a tiny bit angrier over the Excalibur issue than I originally thought.

A slight stinging sensation drew my attention to the long but shallow cut that ran through the palm of my hand. I quickly disregarded it however after noticing how the cut had already begun to heal, no doubt a result from them combination of a Devil's mild natural regeneration and the passive effects of Avalon still inside of me kicking in.

I looked up to find most of the room still sending me unsettled stares, Xenovia's was especially wide eyed, expect for Griselda who sent me another of her analytical looks.

"I see," and just like that, her grandmotherly smile returned, "you must be Emiya Shirou. It seems like I have you to thank for being here."

"I don't understand," Sona jumped into the conversation, apparently happy to have a distraction from what happened, "what does Shirou have anything with being here?"

"It's quite simply really. The Church you see is quite aware that both you and the Gremory Heir reside in this this city, and that left the higher ups in a precarious position. As much as they wanted the Holy Swords back, they were unwilling to needlessly risk triggering an entire War over it.

"And that was exactly what they would have been risking if they sent a powerful and large force to a territory owned by not one but two heirs of Pillars and the little sisters of the Maous' to boot. At first some of the higher ups were actually planning on sending just Xenovia and Irina here. One to match you and the other Rias Gremory."

She shook her head in exasperation at that, "Not that I would have let them of course. While I have confidence in the skills of my girls here, sending two wet behind the ears teenager without back up or supervision against an enemy of unknown strength and capabilities would have been the height of insanity. Which meant it was also the most likely scenario to occur seeing that politics was involved.

"Fortunately the solution to our problem fell into our lap when it became apparent that there was another Devil in the city. An Ultimate-Class one at that. Thanks to you presence here I was given the green light to join this little expedition of ours." She finished while giving me a nod.

"Oh? I'm surprised that the Church was even aware I was here, I have been trying to keep a low profile."

Griselda chuckled at that, "Sonny, after all the things you've done since your arrival in the stage of the Three Factions, it would be almost impossible for us not to be on the constant look out for you. Setting aside your completely unknown past before you established yourself as the Leviathan's new Queen, your actions with returning the kidnapped children alone would have been enough to capture our attention." Sona shot me a questioning look at that.

"They were the victims of a Cthulhu Ritual that I stopped." I answered with a shrugged, "While most of them were the children from either from the Extra-Demon Clans and few from among the Low-Class Devil families, several among them were kidnapped human children. I just made sure to return them home afterwards, nothing worth taking note of."

"You'd be surprised sonny on how few Devils would have even gone through the bother of returning them to the human world, let alone personally delivering each child to their family." Amusement coloring her smile for some reason. "And you forgot to mention the fate of the Devils involved."

"Cthulhu Rituals are completely illegal in any form in the Underworld. By law anyone involved in or caught committing such a ritual is automatically outlawed, making them no different than Stray Devils. Again exterminating them was a part of my duty and is nothing worth taking note of."

"If our reports were in anyway accurate, there were almost three hundred Devils that were involved in the incident. Whether in the ritual itself or the kidnapping of the children. And unless all of our sources were mistaken, you personally hunted every last one of them while raining swords upon their heads."

Well, she wasn't wrong. They were already preparing to slice the throat of the first child when I interrupted. It was only thanks to pure luck that none of the children ended up dying. I felt no need to be merciful for those who were willing to commit mass kidnapping and murder for power, doubly so when I discovered a well-established child trafficking ring to be involved.

"A rain of swords huh? I guess your title of 'The Lord of Swords' isn't just for show."

My ear perked up at that. What did she call me? I could have sworn that I heard something really awesome. Does this mean for once I will have title I can be proud of?

"Actually," A voice that I was quickly beginning to learn to hate interrupted the conversation between me and Griselda, "Aniki's called the 'The Queen of Swords' not 'The Lord of Swords'."

"Oh, my apologizes. It seems that there was an error in one of the reports. I'll be sure to correct it and inform the rest of the Church of your proper title when I return."

_Saji, you son of bitch!_

"Still, to think that old Serafall would have finally gotten herself a Queen, I couldn't believe it when I first heard." She eyed me up and down for a second, "But I guess it was a good thing in the end. That girl needed to get laid for the longest time; I'm glad someone finally came around and popped her cherry."

Poor Sona had just begun to take a sip of her tea when Griselda's words hit her and she ended up doing a perfect spit-take as a result. After sputtering and coughing for a few seconds she managed to crocked out a, "What?"

Which was at least more than I could do, as all I did was gape at the sweet little old lady that just implied I was sleeping with my King. The two Exorcists were in no better state as they just stared incredulously at their superior.

"Boss/Griselda!" They exclaimed, red-faced.

"What?" Griselda didn't seem to be the slightest bit disturbed by how the rest of the room's occupants were staring at her as she calmly enjoyed her tea, "It's true. I don't know if Serafall ever had a man before but if she did it sure as hell was a long time ago. So long that I wouldn't be surprised if she grew her virginity back."

"Still," the twin tailed exorcists tried to reprimanded her, though the effect was ruined by her cherry red blush she was sporting, "you shouldn't talk about such things. You're a nun for Christ's sake."

"So? I wasn't always a nun you know. Did you think I came out of my mother's womb old or something? There once was a time when I was young and boy crazy too. Hell, I think it's you two with the problem here. You're going to be taking your vows soon; you girls need to live a little before them. Trust me there is nothing like riding a man or three to utter exhaustion to make you feel alive. One of the most enjoyable experiences in my old life I tell you." She finished with a nostalgic smile on her face and her eyes lost their focused as she lost herself in old memories.

…I am never going to be able to look at sweet little old ladies the same way again.

"Anyway!" Sona voice sounded a little bit too loud to be natural as she attempted what was a clearly blatant effort to change the topic, "you have my permission to enter my territory as long as you don't interfere in anything unrelated to your hunt for the Excaliburs and leave as soon as you're finished."

"Ah," Griselda nodded cheerful at that, "that's more than fair. Thank you dear for co-operating with us." Using her cane as a crutch, she pushed herself up to a standing position. "Before we leave, you wouldn't happen to know where we can find Rias Gremory. We expected to find her here in the school with you but as you can see she's nowhere to be found."

"If you head to the back of the school you'll find a patch of woods, in the middle of it is the old school building. You should find her there."

She nodded towards Sona, "Thank you again for hospitality. We'll get this whole mess settled out and be out of your hair as soon as we can." She was about to turn to leave before she looked like she remembered something.

"Oh and sonny," She turned towards me, "I'm sorry for how little Xenovia here acted. But don't worry, I promise you she'll be properly disciplined so that she'll never make the same mistake again." Xenovia froze rigid at her words and sweat actually began to breakout on her faces despite the coolness of the room.

"Still, I admit that this has gone a lot better than I hoped." Griselda stated as she began to make her way out of the room with the two girls trailing behind her, though Xenovia was walking far too stiffly to be natural. "If the meeting with Gremory goes just as smoothly we may have time to visit that boy of yours Irina. What was his name again? Is-shat?"

"It's Issei Boss." Irina corrected.

"Issei?" I interrupted when I heard the familiar name, "You wouldn't be talking about Hyoudou Issei by any chance?"

Irina turned and locked her violet eyes onto me. "Yes," she spoke cautiously, "do you know him?"

Well, this was gonna be awkward. While I wasn't sure about the details it was clear that this girl knew Issei and it was equally clear than she was unaware of his new statues as a Devil. How do you tell a girl that a friend of hers has been turned to one of the very creatures she has dedicated her life to slaying?

"Let's just say that you'll be seeing him sooner than you expect." I replied, decided that there was no point in hiding it, "Issei was reincarnated as Gremory's new Pawn a couple of weeks ago."

"…I see," Though she tried to hide it, it was clear she was saddened at the news, "What about the others? Did the same thing happen to them?"

I had no idea who she was talking about but I waved my arms to indicate the entire room, "As far as I know the only other humans that were reincarnated in this city are in this room."

She let loose a sigh of relief at that, "That's good, at least the others are OK." She turned back to Griselda, "Well boss, looks like I won't be able to hang out with Issei but my other friends should be fine. Maybe I'll go see how Kara-nee is doing after we're done."

"Sure we will, it's not often you get to visit your hometown in our line of work. You better enjoy it while you still can." Tsubasa trailed after them and shut the door behind them as soon as they stepped out of the Council room. The remaining occupants of the room physically relaxed and the atmosphere became less strained as soon as the unexpected guests had departed.

They weren't allowed to navigate the school unsupervised of course. Sona had already sent her Peerage's familiars to track them ever since they set foot on school ground and will continue to do while they remain in the city. I had no doubt that they, or at the very least Griselda, were aware of them but they could do a thing about them, not if they wanted things to stay peaceful between us.

"You know," Sona took off her glassed and massaged her eyes as she spoke, "this wasn't what I expected to do when I woke up this morning."

"That's what makes life interesting Sona," I tried to cheer her up, "can you imagine how boring life would be if you knew how your entire day would be the moment you open your eyes in the morning?"

"Better than waking up to find something like this dropped into my lap." She replaced her glasses and faced me, "And despite her cordial manner it was clear that Griselda was trying to warn us off."

"So you caught that too did you? Yeah, they wouldn't have revealed the swords to us so eagerly if they didn't want to scare us away. Though I have to admit that was perhaps the most polite way I had ever been told to back off before."

"Be truthful with me Shirou, how dangerous are they and what are our chances on taking them if they decide to get hostile? I couldn't get a good enough read on them from the swords they were carrying."

"They were strong Sona, Griselda far more than the other two." I decided to be frank with her. Sona was the type who functioned better with more information than less, no matter how unfavorable the situation was. "The two girls, you and the rest would have probably been able to take with little difficulty if they had ordinary swords. However going by how all of you reacted just by standing in the presence of the _Excaliburs_, you might only be able take one of them on at once, even then you'd risk losing a member or two of your Peerage at very least."

She grimaced at that before nodding, "And Griselda?"

"Run," I told her, "I'm not joking Sona just run. She isn't someone you can ever hope to face in battle and live. Old or not, as long as she had that sword in her hands she could take on both your and Gremory's entire Peerage at the same time and win without so much as a single wound to show for it."

I wasn't even exaggerating. Out of the three of them she was the only one to have truly mastered her sword, the other two have barely learned to use it beyond the basics. And the things she could do with that blade were almost frightening, even for by my standards. In some ways she reminded me of assassin, her speed of her strikes were simply that fast. Combined with the powers of Excalibur Rapidly and she was a speed demon.

Then there was the Xenovia, there was something off about that girl. As far as I can tell, the first time she had ever held that sword of hers was less than four days ago. Yet from what little practice she was able to squeeze in with it, it looked like she was already familiar with how her sword worked to an almost instinctive level. Even for a skilled swordsman you can't reach that level of familiarity with such an unusual sword unless you put in dozens of hours' worth of hands-on training, but that doesn't seem to be the case here.

"I see." She shut her eyes as she processed this, "And what about you? How would you fare against them if the worst occurs?"

I snorted at that, "Sona, as long as I'm not caught off guard I could take all three of them at once." Unlike the others I wasn't handicapped by the presence of the Holy Swords, so to me they are little more than ordinary humans.

Even before my transformation into a Devil I could have physically outperformed any one of them with reinforcement alone. As a Maou's Queen the gap in pure physical abilities would have made it almost impossible for them to have a chance. Factor in that they were swordsmen with blades inferior to my own and it'll be a massacre.

"We have that going for us at the very least. Still, what I don't understand is why the Excaliburs would even end up here. The influence of the Church may be weaker in Japan than the rest of the world but that applies to the rest of three-factions as well. Which means outside of Kyoto, there is nothing preventing the Church from sending its hunters here.

"So why did they try to hide out here. Politically there is nothing in Japan that can protect the thieves from the Church's wrath. That's not even tackling the issues of who stole the swords and why?"

I said nothing as I only half-heartedly listen to the rest of what Sona was saying as I came to a realization, one that I should have made days ago. I may not know why the swords were stolen, the who on the other hand was an entirely different matter.

* * *

Really?

I mean really? I know it was my fault for asking if it were possible for my life to get anymore insane that it already was but I didn't expect the universe to take it as a personal challenge. I swear if I didn't know God was dead I'd have been convinced that some higher power was trying to screw with me.

There sitting in the park bench before me was Asia, laughing and talking animatedly with the person she was sharing the bench with. She was so immersed in the discussion that she hasn't even noticed that I was here. Now that in itself wouldn't have been a strange occurrence. Asia always had a knack for starting up conversation with complete and utter strangers and in a matter of minutes they would end up talking like old friends.

No, it wasn't what she was doing that surprised me but _who_ she was doing it with that was the problem

I turned to look at the person sharing the bench with Asia. Kokabiel. The Fallen Angel himself Kokabiel was sitting right next to Asia, less than an arm's length away. And the guy looked like he was having the time of his life. Have you heard an Angel laugh? No, not laugh but _giggle_. That was what Kokabiel was doing, giggling his little Fallen ass off as he swapped stories with Asia.

As Asia gestured enthusiastically with her arms, something that she held in her hands caught my attention. Is that a –

"Yahoo~, Shirou." She cheerfully called out to me, waving her hands in an attempt to catch my attention even though I was less than six yards away and staring right at her.

Yup, that was definitely a can of beer alright. And going by the other one in Kokabiel's hand it looks like she decided to share. Oh Joy.

* * *

"-And that is why you must _never_," Asia emphasized her point by pointing at him with her finger, "_ever_ look up two girls and cup on the internet. Trust me, sometimes forbidden knowledge is forbidden for a reason."

Kokabiel nodded solemnly at her words, as if he was receiving the words of the gospel from the mouth of Christ himself. "I promise you I shall head your words and never...ah what did you call it again... 'google'? Yes google! I promise to never google that phrase."

And as I watched all of this from the park bench across from theirs I finally began to understand what drove people to drink.

When I first came looking for Kokabiel in the park on the off chance he may show himself, I planned to confront him on the Excaliburs. I had expected many things to result from our confrontation. From a peaceful discussion to an outright fight to the death. But this, I never expected anything like this.

What made this worse was the T-shirt that Asia was wearing. It had the caption '_Unlimited Blade Works: The Hype is Real_' printed on it. I knew showing her my Reality Marble was a bad idea but I couldn't resist the urge to show off.

So as I sat there with my head cradled in my hands, I thought back and tried to figure out the exact moment that my life stopped making sense.

"You know, when I first heard that you left the Church I had been intending to recruit you." I was drawn away from my thoughts as the conversation between the two began to take a more serious turn.

"I must confess I was rather disappointed when I discovered your reincarnation into a Devil. Not only due to a loss of a potential ally but because I feared a question I had would remain unanswered." Kokabiel looked as peaceful and relaxed as he always did as he leaned back into the bench and watch Asia, "I never expected a chance of us to speak let this and it would be remiss of me to ignore this opportunity. So if you'll be kind of to permit me to question you on a personal matter."

"Sure," she chirped back cheerfully as she waved her fingers at him, "go right ahead."

"Thank you." He inclined his head slightly before his feature took a more solemn appearance, "Why did you leave the Church?"

…I had to admit I was curious too. Despite knowing about her history it was always due to the bits and pieces she let slip in her conversation or from second hand sources. I never talked to her about it, not wanting to pry, and she never brought it up.

"I am well aware that you had the option to stay. That the priests in the church were more than willing to cover up the incident with the Devil." Kokabiel shrugged with a disapproving frown, "After all it would not be the first time that they covered up a scandal. They had plenty of experience with the trouble their priests seem to find themselves in.

"And that was for ordinary members of the church, for a Holy Maiden I have no doubts they would have gone through great lengths for you to stay. So why, why leave when you didn't have to?"

"Hmm, why did I leave huh?" Despite of the seriousness of the question, Asia still looked as relaxed and cheerful as ever. Tilting her head back she looked up into the clear blue sky while she kicked her feet into the airs like a child. "Well, I guess you can say it was all thanks to these things."

She held out he hands and with a flash of green light, a pair of rings appeared on the middle finger of each of her hands.

"Twilight Healing?" Kokabiel sounded just as perplexed as I felt, "You left because of them?"

Asia nodded her head with a 'yup' before dismissing the rings and throwing her arms over the back of the bench. "I had always wondered," she mused, "did Twilight Healing make me the way I am or was I always like this and that was what drew them towards me.

"A Sacred Gear chooses its wielder, and they always select one that resembles them. So do you know what it means to become the bearer of Twilight Healing? What are the traits that a person needs to have to qualify for it?" She turned towards Kokabiel as she asked.

"A desire to heal and help? A kind heart?" He guessed.

Asia shook her head, "Nope, its understanding." she answered, "Understanding is the most essential trait. Kindness and wanting to help is merely a side effect that stems from understanding. It's not surprising if you take a moment to think about it. After all you can't heal what you don't understand.

"Twilight Healing simply doesn't work like that. I can't just walk up to a coughing man, wave my Sacred Gear over him and just expect him to get better. Even if the cough does go away that doesn't mean that his illness is cured. Often a cough is only a symptom of the problem not the problem itself. So how can I cure him when I don't know what I needs to be cured?

"To truly fix something you must be able to recognize what is broken, that is why understanding is needed. I spent years studying medical knowledge and all I the information I could get on the human body to learn how to use my Twilight Healing and it was only after years of effort that I am able to use it on the level I could now.

"At first I could barely fix even cuts and scrapes. It took me three whole years to learn how to properly fix shattered bones and internal bleeding, and another three years on top of that to finally learn how to cure illnesses caused from viruses and bacteria, and I have only recently reached the point of where I can regrow entire organs though I'm still not quite good at it. And I still have more to learn, I have no idea how to fix genetic disorders yet, among other things.

"But understanding the body is not enough. You need to understand people as well. Understand how they think and why they behave the way they do. After all there are more to ways to hurt a person than to wound their flesh or shatter their bones, and the right words or a kind smile can heal just as well as any medicine or magic could at times, sometimes even better.

"That is why I was always watching people. As I was looking over them from my place during mass I would watch the people prey, during the small breaks I had in the hospitable between healing of patients I would watch their families as they waited anxiously in the waiting rooms, or through the glass out of my room's window I would watch people pass on by as they lived their lives. I was always watching. Trying to understand them, to know them. Before too long I became very good at it, almost absurdly so."

She lifts her hands towards her face, the sunlight falling between her fingers and casting a shadow of her hand over face. She started intently at the spot where Twilight Healing would form if she calls for it, "That is why I'm not sure if it was me or these rings that gave me this ability. I need only to observe a people to comprehend them, even just a few minutes is enough for time for me to understand a person more intimately than their closest friends and family.

"A handful of minutes are all I need to learn exactly what I should say to help a person or to hurt them, to understand what makes them tick better than they know themselves. Keep me in their presence long enough and no one could hide their true nature from my eyes, not anymore at least."

"While rare there are times that I only need so much as a single glance to understand a person, especially when they're the straightforward types." She smiled at me then, "It was like that with you Shirou. I didn't even need a whole second to figure you out. You know underneath it all, you're an astonishingly simple person."

…Was I hearing things or did Asia just call me an idiot?

She turned back towards Kokabiel and said, "So imagine, what I saw as I looked upon my fellow people of the Church. What I realized as I looked upon the sea of clergies, priests and nuns. People who swore themselves to God, who promised to do only good and speak no lie, to abandon all of the world's vices and dedicated themselves in the services of their fellow man and to put their well-being above their own."

_Ah_, I can see where this was going and from the sorrowful look Kokabiel was giving her it looked like he did too.

"Liars. Liars and hypocrites the lot of them." She dropped her hand with a bitter laugh, something that sounded so wrong coming from Asia.

"You know when I was a little girl I lived in this little out of the woods orphanage. One of the caretakers there was a nun, and she was the sweetest little old lady you'd ever seen. Every night when she tucked us into bed she would tell us about all the places she's been to and the things she's seen.

"Her parents were hikers and backpackers you see, and as a young girl they would take her along in their trips to all around the world. From the peaks of the Alps to the Sahara plains to the grass fields of Africa, she would travel to all these places and see the wonders they held.

"And it was what she saw there that made her believe in god. She would tell us about how she would stand on top of a mountain peak, so high up that the clouds were beneath her and the entire world fell down around her like panting. So close to the roof of the world that it felt as if she only needed to stretched her hand out and stand on her toes she'd be able to touch Heaven's beginning.

Or when she camped out at night by the side of lake so large you cannot see the end of it. How the stars would reflect off its still surface as if it were a mirror, and when she would look across the lake towards the horizon she could not tell where the earth ended and the heavens began.

It was when she saw these wonders that she began to believe in God. She would tell us that God was everywhere, not just in the pages of a book or within the walls of a church, but out there in the world he made. You can find him in the light of a sunrise or in the calming sounds of a running stream or even in a field of flowers. That to find God all you must do is look at the world around us and you'll see him reflected in his work.

"That is why I have always dreamed of seeing the world. Even after I had been discovered as the bearer of Twilight Healing and taken to the Vatican I still dreamt of it. Even though they told me the good book is all I needed, I still believed to find God I must look for him out in the world and not in a church run by men.

She lowered her sights and looked at the park around us. "I mean look at this, look at this world. To me it's a wonder to behold, a treasure to explore, I never could understand how people can go on living their lives without just stopping and staring at it all the time. Look at how everything in the world fits together just right, at how everything need to work in tandem with one another to function, from the smallest ant to the largest mountains. How can someone gaze upon this world and not see that someone had a hand its design. "

"This world is so hideous yet so very beautiful; a world full of painful screams yet filled joyful laughter. Something like this cannot be made by mere chance. That is why I believed in the existence of God. Not because of a priest that tells me it so or because of a book that is a copy of another book that is a copy of another commands me to believe. I believe because I look upon the world and see him reflected within it.

"I truly believe that the best way to know God, that to learn of him you must not look through the pages of a book or the words of a sermon, but by traveling and experiencing his world. I wanted to see world itself, to learn of all of his creations that live within it so I can understand him more.

"Those were the thoughts that plagued me as I looked out of my window every morning. That God cannot be found within the covers of a book no matter how holy but can only be found out there in his world. Out past those glass windows and beyond the gates of the Vatican."

She looked back towards Kokabiel. "And those people that stood beside me in the church were not believers of god, not really, not in the way it mattered. Oh they said all the right things but the words out of their mouth did not match their actions. In one line they told us to love one another for we are all God's children, while the in next they spew words of hatred and reject those who are not like us. To turn the other cheek and forgive but then they punish any that defies them with an iron fist. They tell us that God loves all his children but then say he hates those who are not Christian or do not come to mass or, and here is the most important bit, are not generous enough to donate to the church.

"And that was not even the worst of the lot. Many among them didn't even care about God only pretended to for the power and influence it will grant them. As they back-stabbed and lied to one other in order to make their way up the ranks of the Church. The moment that I discovered that the inner workings of the Church, something that I had believed in to be run by the just and good, resembled a politic battle than anything I had imagined it to be was one of the most shocking experience in my life.

"Those people, they didn't understand that what they were doing wasn't religion. Religion is the relation between an individual and God. It was a one on one connection, and it is between just the two of them and no one else. No man, no priest has the right to get between them or say whether a person is good or bad in the eyes of the Almighty. Or to choose whether you are going to Heaven or Hell. Only God can decide that but they claim to speak in his name as if God had personally walked down from the gates of heaven and appointed them as his voice."

Asia lifted her beer to lips and took several long swallows before continuing. "All the while I was trapped among them. I was a teenager when I first realized that they didn't care for me. That all of their kind smiles and praises was nothing but methods to control me, like giving a dog a treat when they did good to train them how to behave. It was then that I knew that they didn't see me as a person or an individual, but a tool. One too important to ever let go of. I was nothing but a caged bird and didn't know it till then."

"Ah, but don't get me wrong here." She waved her hands at us. "It's not like they were all bad, there were plenty of good people in the church. The nuns and fathers in the catholic orphanage was filled with the most wonderful people I have ever met. It's just that," she lowered her hands, "well, not in the place where I was later taken to when they discovered I was the bearer of Twilight Healing. The Vatican is not a place people reach by being humble and modest after all. Most of the ones that rule there have more in common with politicians than true priests.

"It was then a question entered my mind, 'What am I doing here?'. I knew God could not be found in these tainted halls so why am I even here? Then that was followed by 'I want to leave, I want to leave this place'. Not the service of God but the Church. I haven't lost even a shred of my faith in my beliefs, not then or now, just my faith in the Church.

"But I knew I could not simply leave, that they would not allow me. After all, who will set free the goose that lays the golden egg simply because it wishes to fly? The preachers may tell the masses to be generous and do good, but no one had ever accused them of practicing what they preach."

"Then an opportunity appeared before me. It was as if God himself sent down a miracle to set me free from my prison. But it was not an Angel that God sent to save me but a Devil. It happened when I was walking in a nearby park to the hospital that I was working that day, one of many that was owned by the Church. He fell from the sky and landed practically on my feet in a pile of wings and blood, pleading for my help."

Asia shook her head, "And here I thought that Devils were supposed to be excellent liars. I only needed a single glance to tell that the Devil was faking. I am a healer after all and it was easy for me to tell a real wound from a self-inflicted one. I have been called naïve before but no had ever accused me of being stupid.

"Why would he ask me, a nun, for help when there was a hospital half a mile away? Why would he not bother to hide his true form but instead have his wings out in the open so that no one that laid their eyes upon him would doubt what he was? It was clear that he wanted to use me, for what purpose I did not know. In the end it didn't matter as I quickly realized that this was my chance to be free, so I decided to use him instead.

"It was incredibly easy too, I didn't even have to do a thing. The Devil must have somehow set the whole thing up for I had scarcely begun to heal him when one of the priests walked in on us. You would not believe the amount of uproar that soon followed and, well to keep a long story from becoming even longer I was excommunicated.

"Oh several people tried to get me to stay and offered to cover the scandal up, some who genuinely wanted to help me, others who just wanted to keep their Holy Maiden, while others who wanted…favors in return. I declined them all of course, this was what I wanted after all."

Asia sat up and shot us both a beaming smile. "At last I was free! Free to explore world and its wonders, to finally experience it rather than that watch it go by through the windows of an empty room. I walked out of the church with a skip in my step and a smile on my lips as I began my journey to discover God…then I found out that God was dead." Then she slumps back into the bench. "Well, Shit!"

I could not explain why but both Kokabiel and I broke out laughing at that.

"Surprisingly that was my reaction as well." She flashed us a weary smile, "When I realized that God was dead, I laughed. I just laughed and laughed at the absurdity of it all. In the end after all my efforts, despite my most fevered of wishes the one that I was looking for, that I wanted to meet so very much has already been gone long ago." She looked down into her beer can for a moment before she took another swing from it.

A gentle hand griped her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. She raised her head to find Kokabiel looking down at her with an equal mixed of understanding and sorrow.

"And what about now?" He inquired, "Now that you are aware that God is gone, have you surrendered your faith?"

"No." There was no hesitation, no give in her words. The look she gave the Fallen as she stared back into his eyes had more than a little steel in them. "It makes no different whether he is here with us or not. I did not follow God for his strength or the promised rewards in the afterlife. I bent my knee and prayed to him to thank him for his kindness, for the love he gave us though we may not have been worth it at times.

"I followed him because I believed that his words, the message and teachings he bestowed upon us, are true. To do good even when it is hard. Be kind to others even when there is nothing to gain to from it. Help a stranger as you would a brother. Tell no lies even if the truth is a difficult burden to bear. To love and forgive one another, even when it is easier to hate. And above all else, remember, to always have kindness.

"I pray to him not because he is _a_ God but because he is a _kind_ God, one that tries to teach to love one another. And God's passing, no matter how tragic it may be, has made his words no less true."

It is easy to forget sometimes how strong this girl was. That behind her somewhat goofy exterior lays a person who lived a hard life yet still has the strength to face each day with a smile.

For the first time since I had met him did I see Kokabiel lose his composure as he stared wide eyed and astounded at Asia, his jaw hanging slightly open in his surprise. For a while he said nothing as he just stared at her. Then he threw his head back and laughed.

It echoed through the park like the ringing of bells and warmed me as if sunlight was shining upon my soul. It was a pure thing, like a child's first smile or the warmth of mother's embrace.

"You," He beamed down at Asia with more joy that it would have made even the most jaded of men smile at the sight, "are one of the most remarkable people I have ever met. Truly remarkable. At first I had wondered if you were like Shirou but no, I was wrong. You're not like him at all. You're like _me!_" He laughed again.

"Though we are both forever barred from wandering through Heaven's halls we still follow him. Even though your soul was stained with your resurrection, just like my wings were with my fall, you still haven't lost a shred of your faith. No, perhaps it has even grown stronger."

He shook his head in wonderment, "Truly, it is a shame that you two never met. I'm sure Father would have adored you. He had always feared that people had only followed him because of his might not out of their own desires. To know that someone would still choose to believe in him even though he no longer has anything to offer would have brought him nothing but unmatched joy."

Asia shot him a cheerful little smile at that, "That is perhaps the greatest complement you could have given me." She took another swing from her beer only to pause, confused. She lifted the beer can to eye level and peered inside. "Well it looks like I'm out of beer." She said before tossing the can into a nearby garbage bin.

She hopped out of the bench and gave us a wave, "I guess I'll take that as a sign that I've had enough for the day." She began to make her ways out of the park but not before calling out over her shoulder. "Now don't be a stranger Kokabiel. I expect you visit me whenever you're in the neighborhood, ok?"

Kokabiel shook his head sadly at her. "No, I apologize but I don't think we'll ever meet again. No matter how things play out it is unlikely that I will have much more time left to live." Then he smiled back at her, "Still, though it was just a onetime meeting I am truly grateful for the chance to get to know you."

Asia paused in her tracks, swiveled in place and narrowed her eyes as she stared at Kokabiel. The look she was giving him reminded me of the ones that Griselda had given me. Then her expression softened before turning to one that held an equal mix of sorrow and understanding. "Ah…I see. Well in that case be sure to die with a smile on your face, it'll be too sad an ending otherwise."

He graciously lower his head, "Now that is a promise I can keep."

Spinning in her spot again she resumed her journey, "It was fun meeting you Kokabiel." She waved with one last look behind her, "I'll be sure to keep you in my prayers."

As she walked away I saw her clasp her hands together and say "Dear heavenly father thank you- OUCH! Oh come on! Will you cut that out already, it's getting pretty old. Not to mention petty. What happen to all that forgive and forget crap you kept going on about?"

Kokabiel shook his head at the sight, "Remarkable," he turned to face me, "how did you ever find one like her?"

"I didn't find her, she found me." At his inquisitive expression I elaborated. "I had just finished returning some lost children to their parents when she just walked up to me in the middle of the street and straight out asked me if I had any Evil Pieces. When I said yes she asked me to make her a part of my Peerage."

"And you just accepted? Without even knowing who she was?"

"I just asked her why she wanted to join my Peerage and she answered 'To be happy'." I shrugged, "What could I do after that but accept."

"You didn't know she had a Sacred Gear did you?"

I shook my head, "Nope."

Again he smiled at me and it was as if the world had become a better place because of it. "See, this is why I can't help but like you two. No, why I like humans. You'd never meet people as foolish nor wonderful as you two in any other race." He lost his smile, "It is also why it's so sad to see so many of humanity's greatest lose themselves to the Devil kind."

"And what is so bad about being reincarnated as a Devil if they do so willingly?" While I had a feeling I knew why, I wanted to make sure.

He looked at me with knowing eyes that was filled with sorrow because of it. "Did you think that there was no to price to pay to becoming a Devil?" he questioned, "That you merely gain a pair of bat-wings, some magic and that was it?"

He didn't even wait for me to answer as he continued, "Humans are beings of infinite potential, though they start out as so little they quickly grow to achieve so much, immeasurably faster than any other race. But when they become Devils that potential, that glimmer of human ingenuity is lost.

"You would not be able to see at the start but give it time and it'll become apparent that something is missing. That something, that little spark of human potential which truly made you human is gone, put out like the flame of a candle. Meet an adult human every decade and they'll be an entirely different person at each meeting. Meet a matured Devil every decade and they are likely to be the exact same person they were a dozen meetings ago. That is what you give up in your reincarnation, your ability to truly change, to grow.

"Look at the Underworld and you shall see all the proof you need. Look at their cities, at their technology, at their greatest of monuments and you'll find that they are nothing but a reflection of human designs. That all of their immortality and eons of knowledge, they needed to imitate human science and relay on human discoveries to progress as a species instead of discovering them on their own.

"God himself command his Angels to kneel down to humans not Devils because he knew that humans were superior to both us and them. Yet look at the world now, people jumping in droves at the chance to become Devils as if they were becoming something more rather than something less."

He shook his head sorrowfully, "Why, why would they do it? They gave up their humanity, their immortal soul and for what? Power, eternal youth, carnal pleasures? For such worthless things they gave up something that would put them even above the greatest of Heaven's Angels? Truly I cannot comprehend why they would do such a thing."

"Then what about me?" I asked, "I did the same thing as the others but you don't seem to have a problem with that."

"And why did you it? Why did you agree to become a Devil?"

"…To save my sister's life."

Again he smiled. "And that my friend makes all the difference. You didn't do it for yourself but for others. I have met and heard of tens of thousands of Reincarnated Devils in my time but you would not believe how rare it is to hear of one that willingly surrendered their humanity not for their own gain but another's. I can count them all in the fingers of my two hands."

"And Asia?"

"Like I have said, Asia is like me. We are both Fallen but still we continue to follow his will."

I just shook my head, I had a feeling that there was something there that I was missing but I didn't have time to waste anymore. This wasn't what I came here for, I've gotten side-tracked from my original goal enough as it is.

"Kokabiel," I spoke with all the authority I could muster, "why did you steal the Excaliburs?"

He smiled fondly at me, not even trying to deny my accusation. Instead he held out a single hand before him and with a flash of light, he was now holding a sword in his once empty hand.

Anyone can tell in a glance that it was ceremonial sword, one unsuited for combat. It had an ivory hilt with sapphires embedded into the middle in the shape of a cross, while the pommel and the cross-guard were plated with gold. The blade was long and thin, and though it looked solid as it gleamed in the sunlight I knew that despite all the magic that courses through its veins it was no stronger than ordinary steel.

"Out of all the blades in existence," He twirled the sword in his grip as he looked on it with clear distaste, "there is none that I hate more than this one. It is a Holy Sword in name only, in truth it is an abomination. Something that twists then subjugates the mind and breaks the spirit. One only needs to gaze upon it see how far the Church has fallen from what it once was. That they would dare craft such a thing from the remains of a true Holy Sword then to call it holy," He shook his head, "I have no words to describe how sickening that is."

With another flash of light the sword was gone from his hands. He then turned his gaze towards mine and gave me his complete attention. "You ask me what my plans are." He held out his hands, "Truthfully even I'm no longer entirely what they are anymore."

"You expect me to believe that you stole the Excaliburs without a plan in mind?" Not bothering to mask my skepticism.

"Oh no," He shook his head, "I did most assuredly have a plan, a rather good one as a matter fact but I no longer believe following it through would be the best course of action." He gripped his hands together as he continued, "My original plan was to start a war by murdering both Rias Gremory and Sona Sitri."

I felt my blood freeze in their veins at his words and my heart turn to stone. Did he just…?

"Not fight them but _murder_ them." He carried on speaking in the same tone of voice he used all day, as if discussion the murder of teenaged girls was just another normal conversation topic. "I planned to sneak into their homes as they slept, just like I sneaked into their city, and stab them through their cold black hearts with the broken blades of the Excalibur as they slumbered unaware of their coming demise.

"No theatrics, no melodrama, just ruthless efficient murder. And with the coming dawn I would have my war. When the Maou rush to their siblings' side and witness their corpses skewered by the Church's beloved blades they will grant me my wish. In their rage they will not wonder whether they were innocent of the deed or not, they will merely desire for someone to suffer their wrath and the Church will make for a convenient target. And when that happens I will lead all the Fallen I could muster to join in the battle.

"And just like that," He clapped his hands together, "the second Great War would have begun and no one would have been able to stop me."

I had never suffered from vertigo before, but I was sure if I did it would have felt something like this. Here we are still sitting in the same park that we were just having fun with Asia just minutes ago. The sun was still shining in the clear sky, it was warm beautiful day and now I find myself setting across from a monster.

The worse of it was he didn't look any different. His noble and inhumanly beautiful face didn't twist into a hateful sneer, his eyes kind eyes didn't turn blood red and fangs didn't sport from his peaceful smile. He look, well, he still looked like an Angel even as he talked about cold blooded murder in the same tone of voice he spoke to be about the wonders of the human soul.

It was surreal, as if for a moment the world didn't make sense anymore.

"And how did you even plan to get close enough to them?" I decided to attack the holes in this plan while I took the time to gather my wits, "The Bounded fields that warded their homes are first class, and I checked them over myself. It would have been impossible for you to break through them before they have a chance to teleport away, let alone slip by completely undetected."

In reply he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

A cold steel blade was pressed against the right side of my neck, so close to my jugular that it only need a quick twist to slice clean through it. Another was placed on the base of my spine; a single thrust was all it needed to paralyze me from the waist down. A third blade was held horizontal to the ground and pointed tip first in the preparation to pierce through my armpit and into lungs from where it was located unearth my left arm. The last blade was located on the right side of my torso, positioned between my ribs and ready to plunge into my liver. I didn't even have time to blink.

_When did he!?_

Though I couldn't see them I could feel the light element running through all four blades, humming to my senses like high-powered electricity though a steel cable. Even with my Queen's fortitude, I was not sure if it would slow these blades enough to make a difference.

Fortunately I didn't have to find out. With another snapped of his finger, all four blades were withdrawn and the ones who were holding them leapt over the back of bench to kneel down beside Kokabiel feet.

"Emiya Shirou, allow me to introduce you." He indicated with a wave of his hands at the four kneeling figures who waited silently by his side, "These four are my personal guards. They are the Elite of my army, my most loyal of servants and above all else they are my friends. A truer bunch you'll never find.

"They have been with me from the very beginning. They stood by my side as I defended Heaven as one of its soldiers, and they never left it even after my Fall, leaving Heaven willingly to come to my aid." The love and affection he held for them was clear in voice.

I only gave him half of my attention as he spoke while the rest of my mind tried to puzzle out the four enigmas before me. Even when they were standing before me I could hardly even tell that they were there. I could see them with my eyes just fine but as far as I can sense them with my magic they may as well not have been there. Hell, I couldn't even hear them! Only by reinforcing my ears was I able to hear them move and even then they were hardly louder than the sound of their heartbeats.

Their heads and faces were wrapped with a bluish grey cloth, masking their features leaving only their eyes uncovered. They were dressed in varying shades of blue and grey clothing that covered from the neck down. Grey leather amour and gauntlets were worn over their clothing, and on their feet's were some kind of greyish moccasin.

Strapped to their sides where short Japanese styled swords, a tanto. The tiny blades may have not been best for heavy combat but they were more than suitable for killing. Though fragile the edge of the blades were sharp enough to pierce through armour, and they had just enough light energy running through them to pierce through a Devil's defense but not enough to make them easy to detect. Not unless you were actively looking for it.

"I wouldn't bother trying, for all the years I've known them even I can't sense them any longer. Not as they are now." He looked upon them with melancholy etched in his face, "Once they were powerful six-winged angels, with enough magic coursing through their bodies that you would have sensed them from miles away. Now in their wingless states however, you wouldn't realize they were there even if they hid in your own shadow."

"Wingless?" I never heard that term before.

"They ripped their own wings offs." He nodded sadly at my horrified expression when I realized that they had mutilated themselves. "At their current state they barely have enough raw magic in them match an average human mage or a Low-class Devil."

"But can't wings grow back? And even if they can't it doesn't explain how they losing them ties into them to losing their magic." I knew that the amount of wings an Angel or Fallen had symbolized that amount of raw power they possessed, it didn't mean that cutting off their wings would destroy their power.

"If they were merely cut off then you would have been correct, but the wings were pulled out by very their roots. The same ceremony they used to remove them had left their bodies' internal magic system and magical capacity undamaged and till functioning but it completely obliterated their magical reserves. In their current state the amount of Mana they can generate is so little that they are no longer capable of casting any powerful spells."

"Still, that doesn't explain why I can't sense them." Even though I was far from skilled in sensing magic I should have still been able to sense _something_. Kokabiel claimed they had they magic comparable to that of human mage but as far as I can tell there was nothing there. Every living being had some magic in them, even ordinary people had some, but these four had nothing. They were like the gravel of a road, equally devoid of both life and magic.

"It is rather simple if you thing about it. Their magic has been cut to a small fraction of what it originally was but they didn't lost any of their control over it. Right now these four possess a fully functional magic system that was meant to hold and manipulate thousands of times more Mana than it currently has running through it. With such a powerful system still in place, combine to their not inconsiderable skills in the craft of magic, and it was far from difficult thing for them to learn how to surpass they magical presence even more."

"They stole were the ones to steal the Excaliburs weren't they." It made sense. The thieves were able to break in and out of the Church without ever being detected. It also explained why only four of the seven swords were stolen. He didn't have enough people to go after the other three.

"I believe Asia put it perfectly when she said you can't heal someone when you don't understand what's broken. It's the same concept with the wards, how can you expect them to block something when they can't even recognize them as threats. Even the Church's Bounded Fields registered their presence as nothing more than a gust of wind, if they even registered them at all.

"Compared to that, the Bounded Fields protecting the Gremory and Sitri would have been child's play. They would have snuck into the just as easily as they had snuck past the guards that surrounded the city and completed their missions without anyone ever realizing they were ever there."

I wanted to deny it, but he was right. If they could sneak past all of the Church's security when they had dozens of exorcists guarding the swords what chance did the ones we had here have? I haven't been able to spot any of them when I was actively looking for them. It was entirely possible for me to have gone asleep one night and wake up the next morning to find Sona dead.

"Why?" That was the one thing I didn't get from all of this, what did he want a war for? From what I had seen of him Kokabiel wasn't the type to enjoy killing, maybe not even battle. He didn't seem to be a bad person at all. Hell if I was being honest with myself I even liked the guy. And I knew that there was no way he was putting on an act, between Asia and me we would have noticed if he had. So why? "If you restart the Great War, there will be no winners. All Three of the faction will die.""

His eyes locked onto mine, "That, Son of Adam, is the entire point."

"You…You want to destroy the Three Factions?"

He raises an open hand towards the sky, "Once, one only needed to look up in the sky to know that justice lived. That there was still good in the world. No matter how hard the times or dark the night, all you needed to do was look up in the sky and know that there just beyond your sights laid Heaven, and it was a place where the righteous lived, where they stood guards and watch over you and would give their life to protect you no matter how powerful the foe. And at its heart, seated on the throne of Heaven, sat a just God. A God whose kindness was unmatched, a God who loved you with all his heart."

He lowered his hand, "But that is no longer so.

"Heaven has forsaken its duty. Our beloved God is dead and his dying wish was to protect humanity, his children from the supernatural. To guard them from the beings that would hunt them in the dark, which would feast on the young and weak, and that would corrupt the good and strong among them. Just as they are doing right now.

"And yet where is Heaven's legions? Where are they when the innocent call out for help? Where are they when children are hunted down and killed like cattle? Where are the promised protectors, where are the shepherds to guide the faithful, the guardians to protect the weak in their time of need? Where are they?

"They sit within the gates Heaven, enjoying its spenders while the innocent suffer beneath their feet.

"Michael has abandoned humanity. No worse, that traitor has become the very thing that we were supposed to guard humanity from. He feasts upon their beliefs and exploits their faith in us, all the while claiming it is for their own good. Good? GOOD! He dare he call what he does good?

"He chains and control them by masquerading as God, it is a sin to pretend to be a God yet he sees nothing wrong with his actions? He is lying and deceiving them all the while he hides the truth of father's death, and for what? To protect Heaven? Heaven was meant to stand guard over its people, Heaven was supposed to be the home of the righteous and brave. Heaven was to fight back the darkness to protect the weak and innocent. Yet what do they do? They stand back and do thing.

"Heaven's legion sits back, their weapon lay untouched in their sheath and their rusted armour lay abandoned on the ground, as they watch the people they were duty sworn to protect are pillaged and exploited, all so that Heaven may survive. I ask you this, what is the point of Heaven when it serves no other purpose than its survival?

"Even as the faithful scream for help, they beg for God to save them, to save their children. And how does Michael answer them? He commands them to pray." A bitter and painful laugh broke out from Kokabiel. One made painful to hear knowing it came from an Angel. "Pray, that is what they have been doing the entire time you hypocritical fool. And when you do no not answer their prayers you wonder why people no longer believe in God?

"All the while this is happening, the Devils are exploiting Heaven's lack of vigil. They steal humanity's greatest and strongest with promises of riches and power, and the moment they get hold of them they turn them to little more than slaves. They promise to love and protect, while in truth they are the source of the danger that they need protecting from. You just need to look at that poor child Hyoudou Issei for proof."

"You know about Issei?" I don't know why it surprised me so much but it did.

"Of course I know of him. He is another one of my mistake, another innocent I failed to protect." Kokabiel eyes looked broken as he stared at me. "I was the one who sent the Fallen to watch over and protect him from the Devils."

"But it was the Fallen Angels that killed him!" There was no doubt about that.

"I know, such is the greatness of my folly that my actions had led to the events that I wanted to prevent." Though his face remained calm there was a hint of barely restrained anger in his voice. "Those fools seemed to have misinterpreted my orders. When I commanded them to 'protect the boy from the Devils who are after his Sacred Gear' they apparently heard 'prevent the Devils from getting the boy's Sacred Gear' instead.

"They were punished for their crimes."

At that phrase something clicked in my mind, "You were the one who killed them."

He nodded solemnly, "All Angels, Fallen or not, are meant to guide and protect people. For one of my own kind to kill an innocent child for their own gain is a crime I simply cannot forgive."

"To make matters even worse," he continued, "my original fears were confirmed. The Devils were lying in wait, aware that child would get killed yet sat back and did nothing. Only after he died did they reveal themselves. They resurrected him and enslaved him while they pretend to play the roles of the Heroes. All the while they hide the truth, that they had played just as much a role in his death as the Fallen that hurled her spear at him.

"And Issei was not the only child to suffer such a fate. Every day there are hundreds just like him, children that are tricked, exploited or coerced into Devilhood. Devils tend to prefer recruiting the young over the old when they are able to, as they find them easier to train and manipulate. And again what does Heaven do during through all of this? Nothing. For their own survival, they believe that such _sacrifices_ must be made. As if it is much of a sacrifice to them when it is someone else who has to pay the price.

"What truly makes the situation bleak is how the Devils deliberately aim for humans with Sacred Gears. They were God's gift to humanity, bestowed upon your race to protect them, to give them the means to fight back the monsters that hunt them in the night. Sacred Gears belong to humankind and no other race.

"And what happens to them? They became tools for the Devil instead. The very thing they were meant to fight. If there is one good thing that came about with Father's passing is that he never lived long enough to see how his gifts were perverted in such away.

"And then there are the Fallen. Do I even need to mention them? Though they maybe my own kind I hate them the most of all. Out of all three they are the most selfish of the lot. Our lord has granted them the wonders of Heaven since the day they were created and they betray him for their own greed and selfishness.

"Look at Azazel, he surrendered into his own lust and in doing so he betrayed his wife just so he can procreate with a dozen different human women."

"Angels can get married?" I blurted out. I don't know why buy I thought angels were supposed to be eternal virgins or something.

The amused smile told me Kokabiel could tell what I was thinking. "Of course we can. Love is one of the many gifts God had bestowed upon the world and what is the marriage but the culmination of love. Did you think that our Lord will denied his Angels one of his greatest gifts? No, while it is rare I confess, Angels can fall in love with one another and marry."

"But Azazel," The smile slipping off his face, "he was one of the lucky few. He found a love so true and pure that even the Lord happily blessed his marriage. His wife _adored_ him above any other, perhaps even more than she loved our Father. But Father did not care, so delighted he was in his children's happiness. And what did he do with that love? He betrays hers.

"Have you ever seen an Angel with a broken heart before? Be grateful that you did not have the misfortune to. In all my years I have never seen a more tragic sight, and I hope to never do so again. When something as pure as an Angel loves they cannot hold back, they give everything into their love. And when that love is betrayed, they die.

"After Azazel's Fall, Heaven's hall was filled with the echoes of Hadraniel's weeping. For a hundred days and a hundred nights her tears did not stop. And when the hundredth night came to an end, so did poor Hadraniel.

"There is a reason that Azazel is one of only two Fallen that God has never offered the chance for redemption. Some sins are to grave to ever forgive. That is why I hate the Fallen. That is why I hate all the Factions.

"The three-faction are no longer needed in the world. They are a relic of an age long gone, leaches who only continue to survive by sucking the life blood of others. Have you not wondered why human's prospered over the years but the three factions number continues to dwindle? Even centuries after the end of the Great War the Three faction continue to shrink while the rest of the world grows.

"It is because the Three Factions are nothing but the rotting corpse of a great beast that refuses to accept its demise. And in its desperation to survive it clings to whoever happens to be nearby, and by doing so they drag them down with them with them into their doom.

"That is why I cannot allow the abomination that the Three Factions have become to continue to exist. They are a diseased limb that needs to be amputated before they infect the rest of the world with their poison. That is why I planned to kill the two Heirs and bring era of the Three Faction to a proper end before they cause any more harm."

"But you changed your mind." I added.

"But I changed my mind." He nodded in agreement. "As something rather unexpected occurred. Something… that was truly remarkable. A Devil with a human soul had been discovered.

"Such a thing was unheard of, an impossibility. When a human is reincarnated into a Devil they must accept a Devil's magic into their body and no soul, not even man's, can accept so much of their foul magic into their being and remain untainted and yet, there you stand before an impossibility made real. A soul so whole and pure that is shines with all the brightness of a sun.

"Once again, the human spirit has achieved the impossible. Once again your kind as surpassed anything I could have dream of you achieving. It was then that I began to wonder, could I have been wrong? Was there perhaps another way? I didn't know, so I decided to make sure."

"And that's how we met for the first time, you came looking for me."

Kokabiel nodded, "I confess that it wasn't due to serendipity that we met, because as you had correctly guessed I actively sought you out. But can you truly blame me? How could I not look for you when all of my guards," he waved his hand toward the four fallen he remained silently kneeling the entire time, "swore to me that they had seen a Devil enter the sacred ground of a church yet grew no weaker for it, as if the church had welcomed his presence."

I cast my eyes on the silent four, and even now I still had trouble realizing that they were there, "They were still in the church when I got there, weren't they?"

"Yes. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that they were able to trail you the entire time you were there without you noticing. But having a second-hand report is not the same as seeing it with my own two eyes, and when the fate of the world hangs on the balance of my decisions I needed to make sure.

"But it was after out meeting that I began to have doubts in my course of action.

"I did not foresee a Devil with a human soul and yet there you stand before me. So I had to question myself, if I could not predict such a development was there something else I did not foresee as well? Was it possible for mankind to still prosper even in the grips of the Devils? Could your kind's potential bring about another miracle, one that I, a mere Angel cannot even comprehend?

"Father had wanted the world to be free from the influence of both Heaven and Hell. He wanted to see a world crafted by man and man alone. That is why he fought the Great War, that is what he died for. Not out of hatred but love, not to destroy the Devils but to protect the humans from their influences.

"Yet here I am deciding the course of humanity, as if I was the almighty himself. How does this make me any better than the Devils? I could not help but wonder if my pride had gotten the best of me. That in my hubris I believed I knew what was best for the world. Did I even have the right to decide such a thing? And yet I cannot simply sit back and do nothing while the innocent suffer all around me.

"It was after many days of contemplation that I had stumbled onto an answer. One that can determine the fate of the world in a way that would not betray Father's will."

"Emiya Shirou," He turned his imploring eyes towards me, "Will you please kill me?"

…What?

Not even giving me enough time to gather my scattered wits he carried on, "I cannot stop, not after going so far, not while so many continue to suffer all around me. Yet I no longer believe I have the right to decide the fate of the world. Or at least, not by me alone. That is why the future will be determined between us, a Son of Heaven and a Son of Man.

"Tonight, I will enact a plan that will reignite the Great War. And this time, I will not stop until I had brought about the end of the Three Faction. And it will be at that moment, just before the point of no return, I shall give you a chance to kill me.

"I will not make it easy for you of course. I intend to fight you with all of my might; I shall call upon all of my magic and forces to strike you down Child of Man. I will hold nothing back and I expect you to do the same. And with that, I will let the potential of man determine the fate of the world. Just like father intended.

"Will the spirit of man that burns inside you emerge victorious and prove that even in the world's current hardship humans can still prosper, or will you prove that your existence was nothing but a fluke, a product of chance and that the future of mankind is doomed so long as the Faction continue to exist and exploit them.

"No matter what the outcome may be, I will make sure that man will have a hand in shaping in its own future." He folded his hands over his laps and calmly relaxed into his bench.

"And what's," I began when it became apparent that he had nothing else to add, "stopping me from ending you right now?"

His lips curved into a tiny smiled and he indicated with hands to the empty space on either side of him. I just stared at the spot for a few seconds before I raised an eyebrow at him. What exactly was I supposed to be looking at?

_Wait a minute_. What happened to the guards?

A blade was place on the right side of my neck. Ah, never mind, found them.

"What's stopping you? Simple, if you wait for tonight I promise you that I will fight you out in the open. No subjection or traps, just a clean open battle. And while I'll not be alone, my elite guards will not participate in our fight. They will sit it out and observe our battle as witness. Does that seem fair to you?"

"Fair enough." I would have nodded if I weren't sure I'd cut my throat on the guard's blade. Fortunately the blade disappeared the next second, but I still had no idea where his guards was hiding and I wasn't willing take my eyes off Kokabiel to turn around and look for them.

"Then it appears we have an accord." Kokabiel raised from his seat and gave me a single bow before leaving. "I wish you best of luck tonight Emiya Shirou."

"I won't need it. There is no way you're going to end up winning tonight. Not just for the sakes for the people I'm protecting but for yours as well." He stopped in his track and turned to look at me. "Kokabiel let me make one thing clear, I don't believe that you are wrong about the three Factions nor do I believe that you are a bad person. However that doesn't mean I'm going to sit back and watch you commit mass genocide, no matter how justified you believe it to be."

"Oh?" He didn't seem upset about my declaration, just curious, "And why is that?"

"Do you know what a hero is?" I asked instead, "I once met a man who thought himself a hero. He wanted to so badly save everybody. Even though he knew it was impossible, he tried to save everyone he could see anyway. No matter the cost he threw himself into the line of fire time and time again to save as many lives as he could. It did not matter to him if they friends, enemies or complete strangers, he would risk his life to save theirs without thought of loss or gain.

"Yet he could still not save everybody no matter how hard he tried, so he had to choose who to save. Should he save the three people to his left or the ten on his right? The decision may appear to be an easy one but to him, who wanted to save everyone, it tore into his soul. But the same situation propped again then again, and each time he choose to the save the many over the few.

"Then came the time where he had to face the same decision again, where he had to choose who to save, the many or the few. Only in this case among the few that needed saving was one of his dearest friends. In such a situation anyone would have hesitated on what to do but not him, oh no. He was a hero and to him a hero is someone who saves as many people as he could. And that was why he abandoned his single friend to save the lives of a dozen strangers.

"But that's wrong, completely and utter wrong. That's not being a Hero, not even close.

"A hero is not someone who simply saves lives, he is far more than that. Nor is he someone who defeats evil, that's what we have soldiers and the police for. To fight back the darkness is not enough to become a hero, a hero needs to be the bringer of light as well.

"What is the point of living for hundred years of misery? Wouldn't it be better to live a single day full of joy instead. What is the point of saving one's life if they end up crying to the end of their days? Would it not be better to the let them die happy instead.

"Listen Kokabiel, no matter what you do death comes to us all in the end. Whether it is a single day from now or a million, all of our time is limited. And when our time comes, and we look back upon our lives, we do not judge whether our life was a good one or not by the number of days that we lived but the number of times we laughed, the number of times we had smiled. That is how we decide if our lives were worth living.

If a Hero is simply someone that just stalls the inevitable that is death then what's the point of him? A Hero must be more than that. A true Hero is not someone who simply saves a life but someone who makes that life worth living, someone that bring joy to that existence. Or else there would be no point to it all.

"That is why Kokabiel I'm gonna save you. Tonight I will come and kill you, but when I do I'll make sure you fulfill your promise to Asia. I'll make sure you'll die with a smile."

"And why is that Son of Man?" He looking at me strangely, as if he was expecting to see something in particular but found himself being confronted by something else entirely.

"Simple," I jerked a thump at myself, "it's because I'm a hero. The real thing."

He just stared at me dumbfound, as if I had grew a second head, eyes wide open in surprise. Then he began to laugh. And I mean _really_ laugh, as in 'he laughed so hard that he had to prop his hands on his knees to keep himself from falling over' kind of laugh.

I felt my cheeks burn as I watched the Angel hyperventilate from laughter. It was not the first time I had someone laugh at my dream, not even close, but it felt different this time. Not sure if it was because I'm a Devil now or because it was an Angel laughing at me but it was embarrassing.

After what felt like hours Kokabiel's laughter finally subsided, though he still let out the occasional chuckle. "Let me say it again," He said all the while smiling at me teary eyed," I can't help but adore your kind. And though our acquaintance may have been a short one. I am truly glad to have met you.

"So I guess this is goodbye Son of-… no. Goodbye Shirou."

"Goodbye Kokabiel." I replied and with one final bow he was gone.

Just the instant before he left I did something that I was always loathed to do, I looked into his soul. It was just for a brief instant but it was still enough for me to get my answer.

Why did Angels fall?

Some fell willingly, others fell unknowingly. I had been told there were only those two reason, yet today it seems I had discovered another.

Loyalty

When I looked into his soul, into the heart of his being that was the one thing that I could see. It eclipsed everything. To his duty, to his people, but most importantly to his Father. Enough loyalty that he had willing Fell to make sure Heaven remained safe.

By becoming a spy in the enemy camp.

Who had ever heard of such an absurd thing? An Angel who fell from Heaven to protect it.

He and all who followed him allowed their wings to be stained black, to be reviled and hate by their brothers and sisters by very people he was trying to protect, and yet he did it all with a smile.

Even after he saw his father, his reason for living, fall and die before him he did not stop. He still fought on, loyal though the one he was loyal to was already gone.

For a moment his back was imposed with that of an archer in red. Even when it betrayed them they still followed their Ideal to the bitter end. It looked like even if I did nothing, he had no intention of breaking Asia' promise. Just like him, Kokabiel will face his end with a smile.

* * *

Above me the full-moon hung bare in the cloudless night sky. What little stars that could be seen were faded little specks, their brightness dulled and diluted by the city lights. Propping myself up with my arms behind me I gazed onto the moon from the rooftop of my house as I waited for everything to begin.

Moon watching. Kiritsugu used to do it all the time though I never did understand the appeal of it back then, I still don't to be honest. Still, it's not bad to do it from time to time and it's not like I had anything better to do while I waited.

Gasper and Asia were asleep in bed. I didn't want them to get caught up in this mess so I made sure to not let anything slip on what was happening. I wasn't sure I could keep them away if they knew. I also activated the defensive Bounded Field that was placed around the house. It should stop anyone from entering or exiting the building, at least for a time, and hopefully prevent the two of them from sensing any magical discharge from the upcoming fight.

Now all that was left was to wait. That was one of the good things about the way I fought, I never needed time to prepare. I was more or less my own walking armory after all. Unfortunately it often left me with a lot of free time before a battle to think.

The Devils guarding the town aren't aware of the upcoming showdown simply because there was nothing they could do to help. If they got in the middle of a fight between Kokabiel and me they'd get slaughtered at best or get in my way at worst. There was going to be more than enough death tonight, no need to pile up the body count even more.

And as much as I trusted Kokabiel to keep his words, I didn't want to risk driving him into a corner. Seeing a horde of Devils converging onto the city might be enough to send him into a panic where he would either enacts whatever plan he has cooked up early or worse, he decides to go with the original plan of using his elite guards to assassinate the girls.

As much as I hated to admit it, I had no way of stopping him if he decided to do that. Those four guards of his, I couldn't keep track of them even when they were standing in front of me. They may have not been strong, I'm sure even Kiba can fight probably take two of them at the same time and win, but that didn't mean they weren't dangerous. It doesn't matter how skilled you are in battle or how much magic you can bring down at an opponent, a knife slicing your throat as you sleep will kill both the strong and the weak just as easily.

That was one of the things I never truly understood about the Holy Grail War. Assassin Class was perhaps the most dangerous of all the Servant Classes despite its reputation as the weakest. They can remain hidden whenever you're ready for them and attack when you're at your weakest. No matter how diligent a Servant guards his Master, there is no way they can keep their guard up indefinably. I was convinced that the Holy Grail War would have been won long ago if a competent and determined Master had ever summon an Assassin Class servant.

It was good thing that Kokabiel agreed to keep those four out of it. That was actually one of two reasons why I accepted his terms. The second reason was that he had offered me an all or nothing showdown, which was much better than anything I could have hoped for otherwise. In war, or even a skirmish, a true victory is a rare thing. Even if you win a battle or the entire war the losses tended to be catastrophic. There are always comrades to bury, friends that were lost.

But here Kokabiel has offered me a chance to avoid that. A way to win without sacrificing anything or anyone. If it meant that I'd lose everything if I was defeated well, how was that different from how it has always been? That has-

A wave of magic crashed over me, interrupting my thoughts. I looked towards the direction that I sensed the magic originate from, or at least the closest one. There were, as far as I can tell, at least a dozen sources and they were positioned all around me.

Most of them were too far out of my range to accurately sense but the nearest one was just close enough for me to tell it was located at the very edge of the city limits. Even from I stood on top of my roof it was still too far for me to see, and I was just as I was about to reinforce my eyes when whatever spell they were casting activated.

A wall of blue light, seemingly made up of a hexagon patterned slabs, emerged from the edge of the horizon. Not just at the point I was starting at but from all around me. They kept rising up like a curtain being raise all while curving inwards until they converged, forming a dome over the city. For a moment the dome appeared to grow brighter before fading away so it could no longer be seen, though I could still sense it was there.

So it looks like it begins.

While I was no expert, it was painful obvious that the dome was meant to keep anyone entering or leaving the city. I guess Kokabiel didn't want anyone interfering in our fight. And from the familiar sensation I'm getting, it looks like the dome blocked all forms of teleportation magic within the city as well.

"Emiya-sama."

I whirled around at the sound, instinctively summoning Kanshou and Bakuya in my hands as I did so. I barely resisted hurling them at the kneeling figure behind me, and that was only because I realized he was unarmed and recognized him as one of Kokabiel's guards.

What the hell were these guys, freaking ninjas? I knew they were good at sneaking around but did they have to give me a heart-attack every time they showed up?

He was kneeling with one fist one the ground while he had his other arm resting on his upright knee. He hadn't shifted an inch even after I had drawn my weapons, just staring at the ground before him as he spoke.

"Emiya-sama," He repeated. He has a surprisingly soft voice, one that belied his appearance. "Kokabiel-sama sends his regards and wishes to inform you that the he will be waiting for you in Kuoh Academy's courtyard. He also advises you to hurry, it appears that some of the Devils have already arrived earlier than we had anticipated."

I was already moving before he finished speak. Dismissing the blades I turned and leapt of the edge of the roof as far as my reinforced limbs would take me before unfurling my wings and flying as fast as I can towards the School.

Even from as far away as I was I could already flashes of light from the distant hill of the school. The battle had already begun.

* * *

It was a sword that devoured the light of the world. A demonic blade that embodied the end of the day and the beginning of the night. It is here where light comes to die and against a being of light, one both made from it and wields it, there exist no better weapon.

It was also utterly worthless.

A fist tore through the heart of the blade as easily as glass, shattering the sword to pieces. It continued on, ploughing through until it found itself sheathed in the boy's chest. Bones, ribs, sternum were devastated under the force of the blow, sending the boy flying across the clearing.

"What use is a sword that can devour my spears when I don't need them to win?"

It was a punch that can break stone and tear the earth itself. With just a graze it could kill a man, a direct hit will liquefy one. It slammed full force into his side, shockwaves erupted from the impact sending gusts of winds strong enough to topple trees.

It did nothing.

She looked at her fist in confusion from where it sat on his unharmed side before a hand latched onto her shoulder. She looked up to see eyes of startling blue staring down on her before a knee impacted her chin, lifting her clear off her feet and shattering her jaw.

"Your form is magnificent but you did not put your all behind your punch. You have the power within you to harm me and yet you won't use it? What an utter waste."

Lighting fell from the sky like rain, blinding bright, it lit the courtyard like the light of day. It tore the paved ground, scarring it with trenches that spit the courtyards in two and craters meters wide. It never stopped, falling in an unending torrent of power, radiating enough heat to melt steel beams to puddle.

He walked through it as if it was raindrops.

"Disappointing." He raised a hand to block the lighting and it split apart at his mere touch, like water before the cliff, pouring down at either side of him. "To think the daughter of that man is such a pitiful creature. I know your father girl, and compared to him you fall short in every measure."

"THAT MAN IS NOT-" a kick from above knocked the girl from the air before she could finish, sending her crashing into the hard ground. The earth fractured from her landing, spider webs of cracks forming all around her. She did not get up.

Kokabiel hung in the sky his ten wings spread out about him, surround his frame like a crown of shadows. "Why is it always the child that hurts the parent the most?" He question out loud before looking at his remaining opponent.

It was the end given form, destruction granted shape. Congregated into a sphere it was painted with the colorlessness of the void, for neither light nor shadow can survive its touch. It is here where existence dies, where mortal and immortal alike are made equal. It danced off the tips of her finger, bending to her will, while she glazed with eyes filled with utter hatred at him as she prepared to cast it

It never even reached him.

She doubled over as a knee found itself buried into her stomach. Folding in two over his leg, the back of her uniform erupted outwards in a mist of shredded cloth as the force of the blow tore through her.

"While the Power of Destruction is truly frightening," He looked down at the coughing girl as she collapsed to her hands and knees, "if I can kill you nine times over in the time it takes you to cast it then it becomes utterly meaningless."

"You won't get away-" her face was driven deep into the paved ground by the bottom of his foot impacting the back of her head.

"Devil, it is you that won't get away with your crimes any longer. Either by my hand or his, one of us will bring your accursed kind's rule of terror to an end." He did not quite sneer at her as he lifted his foot off of her head. She did not get up.

Behind him, in the heart of the courtyard that held the battle was a circle of shimmering light. Its borders were made from a series of sigils and runes that were carved into the ground. They shone with an inner fire of sky blue, painting the courtyard around it in a warm blue light.

In the center of the circle were four swords, planted point first into the ground in the shape of square, each corner was pointed in the four primary cardinal direction. A network of lines grew out of the point that the blade met the ground, marking the earth with veins that burned from within. They filled the inside of the circles completely, pulsing every few seconds like the slow beat of a heart.

That was Earth-Breaker, a spell that will bring ruin to the City.

Ribbons of water came to life in the air around him by the dozens, rising in number by the second. They slithered and twisted in the air like serpents as their numbers quickly grew before, like the vipers they so resembled, they struck.

An explosion of water filled the air from the impact, misting the area from sight, yet still the attack didn't end. More streams formed and rained down upon were he last stood, in ever growing numbers. And under the cover of the attack, three more appeared.

Legs coated in steel rained down blows from above, a sword flashed by as the air _screeched_ from its passing, water vaporizing by the approach of a shield of burning blue fire; all three strikes fell as one, perfectly coordinated, the timing just right.

All of it meaningless.

Steel legs fragmented then shattered, the blade vaporizing by the might of the answering weapon, the blue flames _burned_ away by heat of the spear of light. In an instant all three thrown back, broken, towards the feet of their master as he emerged into their sight.

Stepping out from cloud of steam, all what remained of the torrents of water after a single swipe of his spear. He strode calmly forward while steam clung onto his body, unwilling to release him for its embrace. It trailed behind him shifting with his every step, like a clock drifting in the wind.

"Your skill in shaping the water is impressive, I must admit. However if all of the strikes lack any real power behind them, then there is no meaning in it."

He paused in his approach as a tongue of shadow slithered on the ground before wrapping around his ankle. He released a sigh as he shook his head before uttering a single word, "Fool."

Screams of agony soon followed, echoing throughout the courtyard. All eyes turned towards the wailing form of Saji as he writhed on the ground, the tongue of shadow dissolving as he did so, the light element that it absorbed burning it away.

"Saji/Gen-chan!" The remaining members of the Student Council yelled out at the fate of their pawn.

"Sacred Gears were crafted for humans, did you think it will work perfectly now that you became a Devil boy?"

"KOKABIEL!" a voice of hatred roared out of the Bishop's throat. Lighting danced along her fingertips as she turned toward her enemy only to find the palm of his hand blocking her sights before it gripped her skull.

"Never look away from an opponent in battle little Devil." With a single push she found her head buried deep into the ground behind her, as unconscious took her moments later.

The second Bishop soon followed the first into unconsciousness. Before she could so much as cast a single spell or utter a word, she was brought down with a single backhand from where she stood protectively over Saji. Her King would have soon shared her fate if not for the halberd that barred his blow.

"Oh?" with a single hand he brought his own spear crashing against it, bring the wielder to her knees, yet the weapon held. "Remarkable, it withstood the full blunt of my spear yet it bears not so much as a mark to show for. I know the name of every weapon that is capable of such an achievement and yet, I have never heard of this one before." His eyes shifted from the halberd to Tsubaki, who was grimacing from the effort to sustain her guard, despite the utter ease he single-handedly held her down. "Tell me little Devil, where did you ever find such a treasure?"

Before Tsubaki had a chance to speak, Kokabiel leapt back as streak of steel shot through the spot where his has head had been just a moment before. It was a long thin bar of metal that had its end sharpened to a point. When it became apparent the attack had missed, it quickly retracted back to where it originated from, within the shadows beneath the archway of the school entrance, dozen of yards away.

Kokabiel looked over his right shoulder, eyeing the direction the attack came from, "This is why combating with humans, despite them being the weakest of all races, has always interested me." Without turning his head away, he lifted the spear with his left hand and blocked the blow that came from the opposite direction he was facing. "You always fight dirty."

He turned to look into the yellow eyes of the blue haired exorcist. Her blade grinding against his spear, sending blinding sparks into the night air. "There is no such thing as fighting dirty Kokabiel," She retorted as she leapt back, "merely victory and defeat. Anything else is just the whining of the losers."

"I agree." He pivoted in place as he dodged an attack to his back from the twin-tailed exorcist, "Yet the question remains my little humans, do you have what it bring about the victory you seek?" He question the two.

The swinging of their blades was their reply, beginning the battle of weapons users. In instant Tsubaki joined in the fight, adding her own blade to the fray.

It was beautiful to behold as sparks of blue and white erupting each time the light of spear clashed against the steal of the blades. Fireworks of the battle burned into the retinas of all watching, flashing and dimming with each exchange, as all four combats fought for victory. Yet all who watched knew the fight only lasted as long as it did because he was humoring them.

He held back the power of his strikes and the speed of his swings. Instead he held all three of them down with skills alone. His spear spinning and twirling around, blocking, parrying and redirecting all their attacks. His movements inhumanly smooth, the end of each action leading the beginning of the next, it flowed together with all the grace of flowing water and looked more like an elegant dance than brutal combat. And through it all he only used a single hand to wield his spear.

It was hopeless. The Devil among them continued to fight on for the unattainable victory because to lose would be to forfeit the lives of her friends, even though she held no hope in her heart she fought on. The humans on the other hand fought on because they cared not if victory was possible or not. It was not victory that they fought for after all but something else entirely.

All they wanted to do was to distract him.

It appeared in a flash. With speed too inhuman for the natural or even supernatural to perceive let alone match. It covered the length of the courtyard in a time too short to be called an instant, charging towards his unguarded side.

His spear was in his opposing hand, locked into place by the blades of the other three as they fought for dominance. Too far to bring to it around in time even if he had been free to do so, the unwavering strike flew to his side unobstructed.

It impact with a flash of light so bright in illuminated the courtyard with all the brightness of day.

"It's been a long time, Griselda." Kokabiel greeted his attacker warmly, a joyful smile gracing his lips, "I see you've gotten old. A pity, you were faster in your youth."

"We're can't all be unaging like you Kokabiel." Her Excalibur Rapidly pushed against his spear. Her surprise strike was blocked by the second spear he summoned in his opposing hand. Despite her failure her voice was equally warm as she smiled at her old friend, "Still, I can't say I would have it any other way. It would make this old woman cry to see that pretty face of your fade with age."

Her smile was replaced with a dejected frown. "It's a shame that I can't say the same for your sanity. I never thought you of all people will do anything like this. What would the others think if they ever saw you like this?"

"I believe Dianna wouldn't care as she continued her efforts to try and get into my pants. Ralph would be too busy trying to write line of poetry to adequately express his lamentation of facing a friend in battle, while Luka would tell me to stop being a dumb-ass wasting his time fighting when we can be spending it drinking."

"Yeah that's sound like them." Despite herself she allowed a smirk show for a moment before it disappeared. "Please stop this Kokabiel. You can't win anymore. Just give up." Her words were not empty bravado either.

He was trapped in the middle of two opposing forces. With one hand he held back one of the strongest exorcist alive who was wielding what was perhaps the fastest sword on the planet. With his other hand he held back two of her students, both of whom wielded Holy Swords themselves, and a Devil with the strength and speed granted to her by the Queen Piece.

And behind them all stood her King. Above her she gathered a giant globe of water that was slowly shrinking as it was pressurized into a smaller ball, ready to release all its gathered power in one single attack.

Even for one such as he, victory without serious injury would have been difficult.

Yet none looking upon him would have believe he was in any danger as he gave his friend an amused smile.

"Remember how we used to spar all the time?" He asked, "How you and the others kept pestering me to stop holding back in our fights until I finally agreed to always go all out?"

"Yes." The instant after the words left her mouth, dread appeared on her face as she began to understand what he implied.

He nodded at her comprehension, "I lied."

They had no warning before they felt it come crashing upon them, almost bringing them all to their knees.

Power, unadulterated power came pouring out of him in a level incomparable to before. From his back a new pair of wings erupted to join the ten others as he finally revealed his true strength. The light of his spear grew in intensity, to the point that none can looked directly upon them, as the blade pushing against them glowed a cherry red.

They were Swords of legend, whose name is known by the people of all the lands. Wars were fought over them and men willing died for them. Heroes longed to prove worthy to hold them while bards sang of their majesty for a thousand years.

Yet before the might of his spears they were nothing. In an instant the metal of the blades melted then vaporized, destroying them beyond the repair of mortal men. The swords did not go quietly as they died, as the remnants of the power they held exploded outwards no longer contained by their metal shells.

All four were sent flying and even Sona, the farthest away, was completely knocked off her feet by the wave of holy energy that crashed through the courtyard, causing her to loss control of her spell. The watered she gathered fell to the ground, spilling over its hard surface uselessly.

He twirled both spears in his hands once before he began to make his way to Griselda, his twelve wings draped over his shoulder like a cloak, as she weakly tried to push herself off the floor but only succeeded in lifting her upper body.

"It has been a thousand years since I witnessed my Lord's demise." He spoke as he approached her, "Can you understand how it felt to witness my Lord and Master, my beloved Father struck down before me during the Great War? Do you understand how I felt as I stood by and watch, too weak to do anything to help, as I watched God die?"

Exclamation of shock echoed throughout the courtyards as the few conscious among the fallen combatants comprehended his words. He paid them no mind, his eyes upon his fallen friend as he approached her before stopping only a few yards away.

"I failed him." His eyes shining with unshed tears as he looked upon her, "I had one true duty, one single purpose and I failed. And the world has paid the price for my failure ever since. Mankind has suffered under the rule of the Devils and Fallen alike for a millennia because they no longer had God to protect them, all because of my weakness."

"Kokabiel," Sadness and understanding coloring Griselda's voice as she looked up to him, "It wasn't your fault-"

"IT IS!" He bellowed out, dismissing his spears as he threw out is arms, "I AM KOKABIEL THE LORD OF THE STARS AND ONE OF THE GUARDIAN OF THE HEAVENS THEMSELVES! I HAVE THE POWER TO OBLITERATE NATIONS AND RAZE CONTINENTS WHOLE AND YET…and yet I lacked the power to do anything at the time it mattered the most. Truly, what use am I when I can't even prevent my own Father's death?" He stared at his empty hand, as if they held the answer before he clenched them into fists.

"But rejoice." His voice has regained his previous strength. "For a thousand years I had planned, for a millennium I had trained and prepared for this day. And at long last my efforts have begun to bear fruit, as at long last the time to enact Father's final wish has finally come. I shall free man from the shackles that bind them and create a world where they shall roam unrestricted, free to forge their own future."

"And you're going to do that by obliterating the entire the city?"

In reply he strode up to the Earth-Breaker, then with a single sweep of his leg he shattered the four remaining Holy Swords from where they were planted in the middle of the Magic Circle. The runes and sigils flickered for a moment before extinguishing completely, bringing the spell to an end.

"The Earth-Breaker was nothing but bait to draw the Maous' sibling out into the open. Even the scraps of metal that you have hunted me for is nothing but bait to me." He turned around and approached the two girls in question. Rias had apparent regained consciousness but was barely able to stand as she had her arm draped over Sona's shoulder for support, who didn't look to be in any better state due to the backlash of her own magic. Still, even as the drying blood dripped down her face she continued to glare with utter venom at the approaching Fallen, "And with their death I shall ignite the flames of war and in its fire I bring the demise of the Three Factions."

"By the four saints that live within your steel, heed my call and come to my aid." A voice called out, drawing the attention of Fallen and Devils alike.

Though her legs trembled and shook, threatening to buckle at a moment's notice, Xenovia stood tall and defiant as she glared out at her enemy. Her eyes never once leaving Kokabiel's as she held a hand straight out to her side, palm wide open ready to grip a weapon that wasn't there, she yelled out "I beg of thee, grant me your might to defeat the foe that stand before me."

The space before her hand _distorted, _reality bending causing the air rippling like water, illuminating one side of her face as the distorted space began to emit a dim golden light. Without any hesitation she plunged her arm into the distorted space, shoulder deep, before pausing and reversing her course while yanking something out.

And what she pulled out…

…was Hope.

It shone with a golden light, its divinity unmistakable. The entire battlefield was flooded with its presence, outshining even Kokabiel's oppressive strength, as unending waves of its blessed power washed upon them all. It was a weapon of divine origins, sent down from the Heaven's to aid mankind in their darkest hour.

_Durandal_.

A Gift from the hands of God himself given to Roland, his most worthy of children. With it an army of a hundred thousand was brought to halt by a single man and in the hands of one worth to wield it, there lies nothing in existence that it cannot cut.

It laid shackled and bound by chains of purest iron, but what chains can hold back such a sword? What works crafted by mortal hands can hope to bind such an existence. A single twist of its blade shall rip it from its fragile confinements and it will be free once again.

She reach out and grabbed its hilt, ready to break though it's binding but then-

-Hope was extinguished.

A hand harder than any iron clamped onto her wrist like a vise, halting all movement. Xenovia found herself staring into the saddened eyes of an Angel.

"You had such a weapon all this time and you only draw it out after you had been defeated?" Sounding so much like a disappointed father that, despite herself, she felt herself flooded with shame. He shook his head sadly, "It seems you despite all your skills you still have much to learn child."

He then snapped her arm like a twig.

A wail of absolute agony tore out of Xenovia's throat as she collapsed to the floor, cradling her broken arm to her chest. Kokabiel turned away, not giving her so much as a second glance as he made his way to back to his two targets.

"Do you truly think that this will start a second war, just because a one Fallen decided to act on his own?" Sona yelled out him as he approached them. Even to her own ears her words held no certainty, no convention, just fragile desperation. "The Maous won't consider this an act of war from the Fallen Faction but the actions of a single madman. The rest of the Fallen leaders will denounce you and what you have done. You will accomplish nothing tonight but the start of a manhunt, your own. There is no way you can start a restart the war alone Kokabiel."

"Alone?" Kokabiel asked with genuine amusement a shadow fell upon them, blocking out the light from the moon for a moment before it was gone, "Foolish little Devil, I have never been alone"

Another shadow drifted over them, then another and another, drawing the eyes of all on the courtyard to the sky.

"My god." Griselda muttered, sounding like her true age for once. She shut her eyes in resignation, "We're doomed."

They circled over the defeated party like vultures, their wings blocking half the moonlight from reaching them, before they descended upon the school. Black feather drifted to ground by the thousands, falling down upon them and coating the earth like black snow.

"Even in my Fall they have followed me, ever faithful." His feet was pulled backwards off the ground. "These are my loyal comrades, my truest of friends." His twelve wings continued to gently lift him into the air until he hung in the middle of the descending flock. "Thirty-five thousand we numbered once before the war. Though only twelve hundreds of us remained afterwards, not one had ever abandoned me, the fought by side to the last." He smiled down upon them. "So you see little Devil, I have never once been alone."

They continued to drop from the skies above, descending onto the roof and grounds of school in ever growing number, until there was simply no room remaining. And still there was more, drifting in the air above them blotting out the very skies with their numbers.

He held out his arm wide open as he hung above them, backdropped by the sky filled with a legion of Fallen. "And tonight, after a thousand years, we shall fulfil our Father's greatest wish. After tonight, the fate of all that lies under the Heaven, will be determined by MAN." He yelled out as he raised a single arm above him.

The darkened skies above them were illuminated by the birth of a hundred and more spears of light. Though only a fraction of the Fallen had called forth their spears it was more than enough, as what had been called filled the entire night sky like stars.

"And all of it will start with your deaths," He looked down upon the two girls, and for moment his eyes was filled with genuine sadness before they hardened with resolve. "Goodbye Devils." Then he brought his arm down.

Hundreds of spears of light fell upon them from the skies, streaking down like a shower of burning meteors, more than enough to kill them a dozen times over. All of them aimed for the two girls.

The two could do nothing but watch as their death came to them. Too weakened and injured to run, they knew that even if they could that there was no shelter than could shield them from such a barrage of attacks. So with no hope in their hearts, they shut at their approaching end even as their ears was filled by the screams of their friends begging them to run.

The Spears detonated upon impact, illumination the night with the light of a morning's dawn.

These were spears crafted from light itself. Its heat was such that it was capable of burning thought the flesh of Devils and humans alike with the utmost ease. One alone had enough power to pierce a wall. A hundred was enough to bring down a Fortress.

Yet all of them combined lacked the power to reach their mark.

When she had finally realize that she was still alive Sona, body still shivering from instinctive fear, slowly cracked open her eyes only to gape in surprise as she found herself staring a flower.

Five petals, each as large as grown man, hung in the air before her and Rias, standing between them and the fallen. It was iridescence and translucent, and looked as fragile as glass, yet it stood before the might of a Fallen army and did not fall.

Everyone looked upon the shield in confusion, unable to comprehend what happened. Even Kokabiel looked surprised before realization dawned and a rueful smile graced his face.

"Why," he question with a voice filled with amusement, "do heroes keep insisting on arriving at the last possible moment?"

His answer came in the form of a dark streak that shot down from the sky, tearing thought the mass of Fallen the filled the sky and crashing among the ones on the ground. The paved floor collapsed under the force of its impact, sending up a thick cloud of dust in the air.

The Fallens closest to it leapt away in surprise as it crashed down among them, before they regained their composure and surround it. The darkness of the night was pushed back by the light of the dozen spears that they held, all pointed towards the silhouette of the figure that was just beginning to appear as the dust settled.

"Who in heaven's name are you?" A four-winged Fallen called out as he took a step forward, spear pointed in warning at the emerging the figure.

"Who am…I?" A familiar voice drifted out from the dust cloud as the figure within stood up, revealing his red colored hair to the world.

"…_I…_"

Golden-brown eyes peered around the courtyard, ignoring the dozens of spears point at him. Those eyes hardened as they caught sight of his injured and fallen friends.

"…_**I**_…"

He repeated again as he glared out at the smiling Kokabiel before he chanted the words that would signal the death of a thousand this night.

"**I AM THE BONE OF MY SWORD"**

* * *

***Story End***

Gather around child, gather around one and all. Come, do you see this is? Do you know what it is? This my friends is… a curb stomp. And the official theme song of any and all curb stomp in this fic is 'Emiya', any version.

Now good news and bad. Good news is that the next release will be a double-chapter. It will be the fight itself and the aftermath, and I'll release them both together because they tie in so well. Bad news is that it will take me a bit longer time to release it for two reason. One it's a double-chapter. Two I'm on a vacation in London right now with my family. Don't worry I have my laptop with me so I still plan to write daily but not at the pace I was doing so right now.

**Now the question of the week:** How was the fight scene (my first!) and the discussion between Shirou, Asia and Kokabiel?

PS. A big thanks to 'Bigreader in The Omniverse' for all the help his given me. It's thanks to him that I was able to get this chapter out now and not a month later.


	10. Chapter 10: All Know Its Name

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

**Author's Notes:**

Ok, I'll keep this one short because I'm sure you're looking forward to the fight. First, let me thank 'Bigreader in The Omniverse' for all of his help, he's the reason why you're getting the chapter today and not tomorrow. Second…You know what, the rest can wait for the author's notes attached to the bottom. I just hope you enjoy the chapter.

***Story Start***

* * *

All Know Its Name

It was all I could do to bite back the scream that threatened to tear its way out of my throat, whether it was from pain or frustration I did not. _I lost_. As I laid on the ground, broken and defeated, I felt nothing but shame fill me at the thought. What made it worse was I had no one to blame but myself.

He was right. I did not know why I kept Durandal hidden for so long, but he was right. If I had just used it from the start I may have stood a chance of winning, no matter how small. At the very least I would have fought him with my full power, but instead I let the chance slip by without even getting the chance to use my sword.

It made so much sense when I had first thought of it. I felt so smart, so cunning, to have a hidden ace. One that would catch the enemy off-guard and allow me to turn the battle in our favor. But he was right. What's the point of having a trump card if I lost before I could even use it?

And now as I cradled my broken arm to my chest I laid defeated, _helpless,_ on the ground. All I could do was watch the red-haired Devil, the same one who almost shatter my Excalibur in his bare hands, calmly stand as he was surrounded from all sides by the spears of the Fallen.

I did not understand the words he spoke or why he called himself a bone of his sword, but the Fallen around him decided to take it as a provocation and responded with deadly force.

It was over in an instant.

The dozen Fallen thrust their spear as one at his body. Surrounded, their attack came from every angle, leaving him no room to maneuver or escape. Even to my eyes there was no hesitation or imperfection in their form. Unlike the comrades I had trained with and fought with in the Church, there movements were flawless, their coordination was perfect, inhumanely so.

It was then, as I watched the unnatural gracefulness of even the weakest among them, that I truly understood what we faced were not human. These were Angels that have lived for millennia, who have fought and survived a Great War and have been training for the next one ever since. Warriors and veterans, every last one of them, and it showed as their thrusts flew unerringly towards the unmoving the red-head.

It was over in an instant.

Before I could so much as blink a bloody mist erupted into the air, painting the night crimson as the bifurcated corpses of the twelve Fallen fell to the ground around the Devil.

I didn't even see him move.

_Fast! _I could feel my eyes involuntary widening at the sight of the Devil standing in the middle of the corpses of Fallen, having not moved a step form his original fast, not even Griselda could move that fast! But that's-

"_**With a Body of Iron, And a Heart of Fire"**_

I felt the words reverberate through me like the ringing of a bell. I did not know why but those words, they felt heavy, magical. So much so, that I felt the thoughts in my head derailed and grind to a halt as they washed over me.

"That sword!" Irina yelled from where she fell just a few yards away from me.

It was then that I noticed the sword he held in his hand and I felt my eyes widen again, "But that's-"

"-Excalibur Rapidly!" Griselda finished for me, sounding equally unnerved as we did by the sight of the blade in his hand. I glanced at this down at the hilt she refused to relinquish from her grip, where only a fragment of the ruined blade remained attached, before I looked back up only to be stunned again.

That was not Excalibur.

I did not know what happened but the sword he held in his hand was no longer Excalibur Rapidly. Though the wooden hilt remained unchanged, the blade had not. It had elongated and broadened, turning the once elegant rapier into an unwieldy claymore. Its once smooth unblemished surface was fragmented, cratered by hundreds of splinters. It had become fragile, it had become brittle.

It had become broken.

Before any of the surrounding Fallen were even able to respond or comprehend what had just happened, not that I was in any position to fault them for their confusion, he flicked the Not-Excalibur into the air over his head. The blade shot in the sky faster than any arrow, flying unerringly towards the group of Fallen that hovered above him.

The Fallen were caught completely off-guard by his actions. Unprepared, they could do nothing to defend themselves in time, not when they were that close to him, not with the speed his sword was traveling.

Even as some of them called upon their spears or desperately tried to dodge, I knew it was already too late for them, there was nothing they could do to save themselves. The attack was too unexpected, the blade traveling too fast, for the Fallen to do anything but watch as the sword flew right towards them and…

"…he missed?" Irina gaped in disbelief as we watch the blade tear past them, flying between their numbers as it failed to hit any of them.

I could not blame her, I was pretty much in the same state as she was. I watched as the sword, our hope, soared past the first line of Fallen towards the second group that hovered behind them, higher up in the sky.

It looked like the sword was in the direct path of one of Fallen in the middle of the group but it was already too late. The surprise had been lost. While the first group had been caught unprepared and by surprise, this group was anything but. Being farther off they had far more time to react and by the time the sword reached them they were ready for it.

It shot towards a Fallen who flew near the heart of the formation. He already had a spear in hand and despite the speed of the sword as it approached him, he swung his spear at it with a perfect timing, with an almost contemptuous ease, to knock it out of the sky.

He was the first to die.

I barely turned away in time as a miniature sun was born in the skies above Kaou Academy. It was nothing but pure luck and reflex that made me look away in time to save my sight as the sword detonated, releasing a surge of fire so bright that I was certain it could be seen clear across the city.

A wave of heat, as real and dense as any tide of water, washed over me as the false sun bathed the school grounds in crimson light. It burned for but an instant before it extinguished, burning itself out, but by then the damage had already been done.

A crash, just a few yards before me, made look up. It was a Fallen, dead. No, it would be more accurate to say to it was half a fallen, as the entire left half of his frame was missing. Gone, his body ending in a line of crisp blackened flesh that ran down the middle of his body. His face, what remained of it, was frozen in an expression of pure surprise. I looked up to discover the fate of the rest of the Fallen, and most didn't fare much better.

The dozens of Fallen near the heart of the explosion are gone, completely incinerated, leaving nothing behind but clouds of ash drifting in the air. While those that were fortunate enough to not have been caught up in the blast were knocked clear across the sky from the shockwave of the explosion. Many had successfully regained their balances in the last moment while more than a few had found themselves crashing into the ground both within and outside of the school grounds.

Even the Fallen that were on the ground, thus completely safe from the blast, had instinctively leapt backwards and away from the fireball, leaving a clear open space beneath the heart of the explosion, and consequently around the red-haired Devil who now stood alone in the center of the space.

Billowing clouds of soot and ash, born from the explosion fell down from the sky, blanketing the grounds of the courtyard beneath it from sight, hiding both the ground and the Devil with it.

However, just before the clouds of soot blocked his form from our eyes, I caught sight of him. At how his eyes of solid gold shone in darkness, how they locked onto the line of Fallen before him and how the way he looked at them reminded me so much of a cat eyeing a mouse, of a hunter watching its prey.

In the very last second I saw his lips curved, as they formed out the words that he intoned.

"_**Utterly alone I forge my Steel"**_

Then he was gone, hidden behind the grey clouds, leaving behind the disordered mass of Fallen.

When I looked around at the surrounding Fallen, who fortunately were completely disregarding both me and the others, all I could see was the looks of complete shock and confusion on their faces and hear the sound of raising panic taking hold of the Fallen Host.

And how could blame them for their confusion? I barely understood what was going on anymore.

One moment they had already won, their enemy lay defeated beneath their feet and within only a single swing of achieving their goal of starting a war. Then the next moment, their barrage of spears were halted by a flower –_I mean really! A flower! It was even PINK for Heaven's sake_-, their comrades killed by the dozens, and what was practically a sun appearing in their midst. Even ones as ancient as them would not be able to maintain their composure after such events.

Disorientated, shocked by the both the suddenness and the ferociousness of the attack, the ranks of Fallen had dissolved into a confused mess. The order and composure they held was lost as chaos took hold, turning what was once a disciplined force into a disorganized mass of bodies.

However that only lasted for but a moment. In the next second I understood why Kokabiel's forces were among the most respected in the Three Factions. Say what you will of these accursed Fallen, and I tend to say more than a few unflattering things about them in my prayers, they were known as veterans for a reason.

Over the steadily rising murmurs of the panicked Host, shouts of commands and instructions were barked out as the senior and ranking Fallen Angel swiftly and ruthlessly took command of their men by using a combination of orders, threats and insults to get them to obey.

To my eyes, it occurred remarkably fast. The panic that was quickly building within the ranks of the Fallen was brutally and swiftly stomped out by pure discipline as their training kicked in and the Fallen snapped to attention like the soldiers they were.

Within a few beats of my heart, order had already been restored within the ranks of the Fallen and discipline had been reestablished. And it did not stop there. The instant it was clear that their men had calmed, several senior among them took command over several squads and had them surround the still lingering cloud that hide the Devil.

Once again the night was pushed back as spears of lights flickered to life in their hands, forming rings within rings of light as they circled the fading cloud. As ranks behind ranks of Fallen aimed their weapons to where their enemy lay hidden, all ready to attack the moment they caught sight of the Devil.

The flapping of wings caught my attention, drawing my eyes upwards to their source. There in the skies above the quickly settling cloud, hovered scores of Fallen blocking any means of escape from the air.

They too had their spears out, ready to take advantage of any opportunity to take down the Devil or block any attack that may come their way. I noticed how they hovered unusually close to ground and understood that this was how they intended to prevent the red-head from firing another bomb. It was clear that if he tried to fire another with the Fallen this close that he, along with the other Devils on the ground, would get caught up in the blast.

It was as I looked at this unusual formation that I remembered one of my lessons with Griselda on the history of the Great War. At the time I had just turned thirteen and was still in the middle of my training as an exorcist, having been handpicked by Griselda herself to become her student along with Irina and Dulio.

I remembered wondering why Heaven had sent the low ranking Angels into battle during the Great War. What difference could they make in a war when compared the strength of an Archangel or Seraphs? What could they possibly do against the Maous or Ultimate-Class Devils? Would it not have been better to have remained in Heaven where they would be safe and out of the way?

I still remember her answer vividly.

"Xenovia," She told me, "while it is true that battlefields of the Great War were filled by existences that could only be described as monsters, even by the standards of the Supernatural. That those monsters roamed between the battlefields of the war in their hundreds, and even the least among their numbers had the power to slaughter the average Angel and Devil one after the other by the thousands. That did not mean that they could not be fought back and certainty it do not mean that they could not be killed.

"Look at us, if the strong would always prevail over the weak than we humans will never stand a chance against even the weakest among the Devils or Fallen, Holy Swords or not. Yet that is obviously not the case. We who are physically weaker than any of the other races in the Three Factions are capable of fighting back. And how do we do it?

"By playing our strength against their weakness. By choosing when, where and how we fight. By using strategy, tactics and deceptions we, the weak, can fight back and overcome the strong. Remember Xenovia that in this world there are times that the strong fall before the weak. That who is truly 'weak' or 'strong' is not determined by the power they wield but by who remains standing victorious at the battle's end.

"Now tell me, what is the biggest advantage that a lesser Angel have over a High-Class or even an Ultimate-Class Devil?"

I though on it a while before I came up with the obvious answer, "Numbers. There are many more lesser Angels than higher ones."

She nodded in approval, "That's right. They had their strength in numbers, and they ruthlessly exploited that single advantage time and time again. They would gather by the hundreds or thousands and rain down their spears of light onto their enemies form afar when they could.

"And when they were unable to fight at a safe distance, when the enemy would come charging in, they would stand shoulder to shoulder and greet their enemy with a wall of spears. Kokabiel's Forces were famed for doing this."

"The Fallen?" I asked surprised.

"He was not always a Fallen. Once he was an Angel that stood on the side of Heaven and was among the greatest Generals in God's army. Back then his troops were held in high esteemed by all of Heaven despite being made up entirely of lower and mid-ranked Angels. And they earned that esteem by having the highest kill count of High-Class and Ultimate-Class Devils without the aid of any High-Ranked Angels. They achieved this with nothing but simple tactics and teamwork.

"When their enemies would not allow them to fight them from afar, when time came for them to fight their enemies head on, they did so behind a wall of spears forged through the strength of their numbers tempered by discipline and fortitude.

"They would stand shoulder to shoulder, organization their numbers into rectangular rows. They would then conjure spears of light that was far longer than the ones they would usually employ, and while it made them far more cumbersome in close combat it give them a far greater reach in return.

"They also made the spears far denser, infusing it with much more of their magic than usual. This made them heavier which prevented them from being thrown but gave them the ability to defect or disperse any spells they touched. And while a single one could not stop a high-ranked spell, a half dozen working together might, especially against Devil Magic.

"The front ranks of the Angels would stand shoulder to shoulder and face their enemy as one, using their spears to attack or hold back the attack enemy while the rank behind them will thrust their spears in between the front rank, filling any gaps that existed and combined with the spears in the front, will present a wall of deadly spear points to the attacking Devil.

"Those further behind them, when not ready to replace and help any injured comrades, would fire their spears overhead, either to bring down enemies that try to fly above them or rain their spears on the heads of the enemies before them."

"But," I interrupted her, "isn't that basically a Phalanx?"

"That is exactly what it is." Griselda confirmed, "What was most unusual of Kokabiel's troop's method of fighting was that it was clearly inspired by human warfare. Kokabiel has been famed for his fascination with mankind, and many speculated that he mimicked most of his military strategies from the Ancient Greeks and Romans."

And that was exactly what I was seeing before me. A Phalanx, a wall crafted from spears. Devils, both mighty and weak, found their death on the end of those spear tips.

They had slaughtered their enemies by the thousand with this method and I was about to witness as they once again brought it to bear against the new enemy that stands before them and just as the countless before him had done, they shall make him fall as well.

Even to me, someone whose only experience in large-scale warfare was within the walls of a classroom, their strategy was obvious.

Last time they were caught off-guard and unprepared, and they had paid dearly for it. It was clear that they were not about to make the same mistake again. Just like me they had seen both the Devil's speed and his wide range destructive spells and recognized them as the threats they were, and have quickly taken steps to neutralize both his advantages.

This time they will greet Serafall's Queen with a wall of spears, encircle and entrap him in its unforgiving embrace. They will leave no gap in their ranks, no weakness that can be exploited and allow no attack to slip by their gruad. He will be confined on the other side of their spears, where his speed will do him no good. And his explosive swords will not work here, not with the enemies this close to him. The cloud he had hidden himself in was barely a dozen meters wide, and even if you included the two yard gaps between its edge and the Fallen front rank, any attack strong enough to harm them will harm him in turn.

Next they will slowly close in on him step by step, shrinking what little space he had until he finds himself surrounded in all direction by their spears, where a single step down any path would cause him to fall upon their lethal tips, all the while the Fallen in the air will fire down carefully aimed attacks whenever he let his guard down or tried to attack.

It is then that he will be forced to either fly into the air where he will be venerable from attacks from all directions or remain on the ground and be skewered upon their spears. Either choice will lead to his doom.

And now the ancient Host of Fallen stood, patiently waiting for the already dissipating cloud to completely fade and reveal him to their sights so that they may come bearing down on him and drag him to his end.

If they attacked too soon they would have risked harming their own men or kick up more dust for the Devil to hide in. He had already proven himself capable of shielding himself and others from barrages of spears but it was unlikely he was capable of defending himself while simultaneously attacking.

So they waited for the perfect time to act, which was quickly approaching. Already the cloud was fading and in a few more seconds it will be gone completely, leaving the Devil nowhere to hide.

It should have been a flawless strategy, simple in both plan and execution. There was no reason to believe it will not work like it had a thousand times in the past but for some reason I could bring myself to believe that.

I did not know why but something within me, a deep subconscious instinct, told me that the Fallen had already committed a serious blunder. A fatal error that will cost them both their victory and their lives. They had decided to stand and fight but that was a mistake...

They should have ran.

I almost jumped in startlement as a scream of surprise rung throughout the courtyard. It was coming from my left and lasted only for a couple of seconds before it was abruptly cut off, leaving a foreboding silence its wake.

I turned to look but all I couldn't see anything but the backs of the Fallen that blocked my view. I didn't know why but I knew that this fight was something I need to see. So despite the my state I forced myself to stand, clenching my teeth tighter to silence the screams of pain that threated to spill as I felt the bones in my arm grind together.

Another scream rang out as was trying to stand, coming from the complete opposite direction of the first, which was soon followed by a third and a fourth. I had just barely gotten back on my feet in time to see what caused the fourth scream.

The yell came from a Fallen standing in the front rank. I had just caught sight of him before he disappeared, as something had pulled him off his feet and dragged him into the cloud. A heartbeat later his screams were abruptly silenced.

"Beneath us!" Another one of the Fallen yelled out as he leapt back, "To your feet, look to your feet!" Causing every eye to glance down.

It was then that I saw it.

They slithered around the ground like snakes, dozens upon dozens of them, crawling over and under one another in their haste to reach their prey. The light of the spears glinted off the smooth metallic surface of their thin bodies as they silently slid across the ground, quickly closing the gap between them and the feet of the Fallen.

Then without warning, like the vipers they resembled, they struck. When the vines of living steel touched the feet of the Fallen they leapt forward, blindingly fast, wrapping around the legs of their prey before pulling them down, off their feet, and dragging them screaming in the cloud that they emerged from.

The fallen line wavered and collapsed in an instant as they reacted instantly to sight. Some leaping back to escape the reach of the steel serpents causing them to slam in the Fallen behind them. Other took off to the air in their haste to escape, as the metallic tentacles searched blindly for their missing prey.

Some were too slow to escape, the tip of their toes just brushing their steel skin as they leapt in the air. That however, was enough for them to know that they were there. Like vipers striking at a bird, the leapt clear off the ground, wrapping themselves around the ankles of the Fallen before they could escape and pulling them back down to the ground and dragging them to their death like the others.

The braver or more aggressive among them attacked instead. They thrust their spears at the slithering steel serpents at their feet. Their spears of light would skid off their hardened skin and dig into the earth around them, scarring the ground with craters. And while their spears did not seem to damage the living steel much, it was enough to drive them back to where they came from.

However in their determination to harm the enemy at their feet they forgot about the enemy that stood before them.

Long thin blades of steel tore out of the cloud. They whipped forward tearing into the bodies of the distracted Fallen, piercing clear through the soft flesh of their chests and emerging out of their backs. A heartbeat later thy withdrew back into the cloud, leaving behind their stunned victims. Most of the Fallen just looked down at the holes in their chest in confusion before collapsing like puppets deprived of their strings.

A small handful of the Fallen had simply lost their nerve and flung their spears into the heart of the cloud, forgetting about their comrades on the other side. Half the spears tore through the cloud, hitting nothing, before emerging on the other sides and slamming into their surprised comrades on the other side. While some were able to block the spears in time many had not, too distracted by the writhing tentacles at their feet.

The other half of the spears did seem to hit something, however it did little better than the ones that tore clear through. The spears were somehow deflected, sending them clear up, where they were either blocked by the Fallen hovering above or went flying by them into the night sky. What I could not understand was how spears that were deflected upwards emerged from completely different location in the cloud, as if there was more than a single person in there.

The yells and clamour of the dying and alarmed Fallen army ripped me away from my thoughts, causing me to look around. As my eye scanned the battlefield and the remains of what was an organized army, a startling realization hit me.

This was the Phalanx of Kokabiel's army, a formation that has carved its way into legend on the blood and bodies of the countless of Devils and Demons that tried to break through its spear wall only to be broken instead. A tactic that till this day is taught to the exorcists of the Church, over a thousand years since it has at last been seen used in combat, due to its might in crushing Heaven's enemies.

And now that very Phalanx is falling apart at the seams, having been carved apart before my eyes by the power of a single Devil.

It took him ten seconds.

In ten measly seconds a legend was destroyed, crushed and ruined, and yet if felt like it had been hours. By the time it took me to take it all in, the cloud that hid the devil finally cleared enough to see through, revealing to all what was happening inside.

I couldn't have hidden my surprise even if I tried, "Irina! Isn't that-"

"That's my sword!" Irina yelled out, pushing herself upwards with one arm. Her eyes never leaving the swords the "That's Excalibur Mimic! Two of them!"

"No, there are more!" Griselda no longer looking beaten but as focused and serious as I had ever seen her. Her face was set in a mask of concentration as she eyed the Devil. "Six, no I count at least eight of them."

It was like a net of living steel. The wire thin metal threads that formed it whipped through the air like the tentacles of some monstrous sea beast. Constantly shifting and moving the threads came together into a shape of a sphere, no it was a hollow dome.

Hundreds of slithering metal branches covered the floor, hiding it from view. The way the countless featureless metallic serpents slithered on the ground, clawing over and under one another reminded me of a snake pit, and I involuntary took a wobbly step back at the sight of them.

I could see the corpses of the Fallen that were dragged in. Their limbs would occasionally stick out from beneath the slithering mass as gaps in their numbers revealed them to the open air before they were gone, sinking back into the writhing mass as if it were a bottomless sea.

And there, standing in the middle of the sea of living metal, was the Devil.

He had his eyes close, head slightly-tilted back as his red hair fluttered in the wind created by the whipping steel. Thick cords of steal climbed up his legs and ending at both of his hands where he held the shrunken hilts of Excalibur Mimic between each of his fingers.

Slowly he opened his eyes, revealing the spheres of gold to the world once again, as he released the words;

"_**Knowing only Victory**_

_**Tainted with bitter Defeat"**_

Just as the words cleared his lips streaks of white shot down from the sky as several of the Fallen fired their spears at the now unhidden Devil.

He didn't bother to even look towards them. He didn't need to.

Just as the spear tip of the touched one of the fragile strings that made up the sphere that surrounded him, a thick tentacle shot out of the ground and whipped across the spear. It bashed it aside, deflecting it and sending the spear flying off to the side.

The scene was repeated a dozen time over in the next handful of seconds as again and again the spears were knocked to the side with an almost unbelievable ease. The attacks only stopping when the whipping steel began to accurately send the spears flying into the remaining Fallen that surrounded it.

It was when the attacks tapered down as the fallen tried to work out what to do that he struck back. Without warning, the entire mass of withering steel shot straight up in the air like geyser. It enveloped the Fallen that hovered too close, entangling then drowning them in its writhing metallic mass.

The mass of steel kept rising higher and higher in the air, forcing me to tilt my head back to keep it in my sight. It also kept getting bigger as more of the serpents from the sea of metal joined and fusion with the rising column. The sea of steel near my feet was drawn back like a tide, revealing the paved ground that was hidden beneath it.

When the upsurge of steel had finally reached its peak, dozens of yards upwards, the mass seemed to pause of a single moment, as if it were a giant beast pondering its next action, before it reversed its course and came surging back down into the earth.

Like the sprouting water from a fountain, it split as it reached its peak and fell down around. The once united mass of metal divided into hundreds of branches, thick pillars of steel, as it came shooting back down into the ground.

The Fallen tried to move, tried to run but they had not where to go. The skies above them was filled with living steel, and while those that tried to escape on the ground kept running and tripping over the mass of their fellow Fallen around them, having gathered up too close together.

Pillars of steel slammed into the ground by the hundreds, tearing through the bodies of the Fallen with ease. They filled every conceivable stretch of space, leaving no room to sand without touching one.

Dozens if not hundreds of Fallen were slain in that moment. Almost every Fallen on the ground that stood anywhere near to the Maou's Queen died. The only ones that survived the attack were those that stood even vaguely near to either the others Devils or even Irina, Griselda and myself. The attack avoided us by a large margin, leaving wide circles of open space around us.

I felt my eyes water, irritated by the dirt in the air, when a thin cloud of dust washed over me and I barley withheld the urge to break out coughing as I was forced to breathe it in. I looked around and instantly felt grateful that the air around me wasn't as bad as it was elsewhere.

The rest of the ground was filled with a thick clouds of dust and debris, having been knocked in the by the attack. When the hundreds of steel bars slammed into the paved courtyard it shattered the bricks beneath it, sending up its fragmented remains into the air.

It was thick too, preventing me from seeing anything more than a few yards away and I realized that this was probably what the Devil had intended. This was exactly the same situation that the Fallen had to face at the start. He had completely reset the battlefield back to beginning, only worse because this time over half the courtyards was clouded. He could be anywhere.

"Enough!" An angered voice called out. A six-winged Fallen quickly soared high up into the sky, before halting his ascent and glaring down at the field bellow.

"Everyone to me!" He ordered, "Take to the skies and bombarded him until he's dead." His eyes were filled with an unholy mixture of hatred and fury as he scowled at the veil of dust that hid the Devil, "And If he fires another one of his swords," A streak of light flashed into his hands as he conjured a spear of light, "just shoot it down before it gets anywhere near us."

There was a moment of complete silence as everyone absorbed his words, then the courtyard was filled with the flutter of wings as the Fallen took the skies. There were hundreds of them, easily a thousand strong.

Despite the losses they just suffered at the hands of the red-haired Devil they haven't lost any more than a small fraction of their total strength. And that fact couldn't have been made clearer to me than right now, as the entire world around me completely disappeared behind their raven wings.

They filled the sky, rising up from the ground like a swarm of locusts. Already the numbers the filled the skies were beyond what I could count and still they came, until even the moons and the stars themselves were hidden behind the pitch-black of their wings.

It was then, as my eyes followed the flight of the Fallen swarm as they soared to the night skies, that I caught of sight of Kokabiel.

He was perched on one of the peaks of the school building. He was squatting down, one hand place firmly on the floor before him while the other one was draped over his knee, as he looked down on over the courtyard.

It was like watching one of the gargoyles on the cathedral's roof. Completely unmoving, he blended in so well into the rooftop that it looked like he was carved from the stone of the building. I almost didn't see him, and if it weren't for his eyes I'm wouldn't have.

The only thing stone-like in those eyes were the coldness in them.

I felt my heart stop in my chest in and the air freeze in my lungs as I caught sight of them. They were terrifying. My body reacted on its own, moving several panicked steps backwards, trying to get as far away as I could from those eyes.

I must have caught his attention because the next thing I knew, those cold ice blue eyes turned towards me and - _ohmygodimgonnadieimgonnadiediediedierunIhavetorunjustrunawayorimgoingtodiediediedie_\- and looked away after a moment.

I couldn't hear a thing, the sound of my heart beating so painfully in my chest drowned out everything else. My breaths came out in short shallow pants and my throat felt painfully dry as I swallowed. I could feel myself shaking, my entire body trembling but I didn't move, didn't dare take so much as a single step in case I drew those eyes back to me.

What…What the hell was that? What happened to his eyes?

Even when we fought Kokabiel before, he when it looked like he was trying to kill us, there was something warm about him. When we traded blows it he was almost playful about it, not in condescending manner but as if he was truly enjoying himself and held himself back just to draw the fight out.

Back then it just made me angry. Insulted that after all my years of training, my countless hours of practicing with my sword, he saw my best attempts to kill him as nothing but a game, as if I were just a little child trying to whack my father with a foam sword. But now, now I no longer felt insulted, just grateful that he never decided to take me seriously.

Because if the price I had to pay was to look into those eyes, I didn't want to pay it.

I understood now, he was never trying to kill us before. When he attacked us he always held back, using just enough force to put us down without truly hurting us. Always using the absolute minimum to take us out of the fight.

But it was different now.

There was no restraint in those eyes, no hint of mercy, no holding back. This was not the Kokabiel that we faced before. The one filled with helpful advice even as he crushed us, who was disappointed in our failing as if they were his own. No, this was Kokabiel the Killer. Whose death toll in the Great War was so high that it was enough to mention him in Bible on that merit alone. The Kokabiel whose took a bunch of Low-ranked unexperienced Angels and turned them to a trained force that were feared and respected by friends and enemies alike. The one whose exploits in the field of combat has dubbed him a battle maniac.

And now that very killer has chosen the red-haired Devil as his latest prey, and there was no doubt in my mind that he was going to kill him. He will call on every scrap of power under his command, use every bit of battle knowledge and experience he has gathered in his millennia of existence, and every drop of skill in his body and bring it down on him.

That was what he was going right now. Perched like some great hawk on the ledge of the roof, he was watching his prey. Examining every attack, analyzing every detail, noting every strength and flaw in his form.

His face a cold detached mask while his glimmering blue eyes glinted like ice picks in the night gloom as they slowly drifted left and right as he scanned the battlefield for the red-head, and all the while he looked for potential weakness to attack, holes in his guard to exploit.

And when he's done finally done. When he collects every bit of information, analysis every data, thinks up plans and counter plans, and forge them in his minds into the tools he needed to win, he's going to descend on the battlefield and kill him.

A bright light caught my attention and I turned towards it, welcoming the distraction no matter what it maybe. Anything was better than looking into…those…eyes…

…Fuck my life.

As I started up into sky where the source of the light originated from I could not help but wonder if I had just jinxed myself. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. I was wrong, Kokabiel wasn't going to kill us after all. We'll all be long dead before he gets the chance.

"We're dead." A voice off to my side coolly stated. The other male devil of the Sitri group seemed to have regained conciseness and he was calmly looking up at the sky as he lay spread eagle on the ground. "So dead."

They outshone the light of the long distant suns and have taken their rightful place as the night's true stars. They gleamed in its darkness, hundreds upon hundreds shinning jewels on a backdrop of black. From horizon to horizon they stretched, filling the sky whole, a painting of glimmering lights with the sky itself as the canvas.

A thousand and more spears crafted from the light of the planet itself hung above the skies of Kaou Academy. So bright that they illuminated the world beneath them with their light.

There before me stood the full might of the Fallen Host. Their tactics have failed, their Phalanx lay broken and so they have abandoned it. Instead they will lay to their enemy from afar, they will rain down death and destruction, and scorched the earth itself if they must to take down their foe.

This was the most basic attack for all Angels, Fallen or not. A tried and true method that was never replaced or abandoned since it was created at the dawn of time. That was because it worked, overwhelming the enemies by pouring down destructions from the Heavens until nothing but ruin was left behind.

And now we're about to experience its power first hand.

The six-winged angel who took command of the Host raised his spear over his shoulder as the rest of the Fallen around him did the same.

"On my call we fire as one." He commanded, his eyes never leaving the cloud beneath him. He cocked his arm back, "Ready!" The stars above us rippled as the entire swarm of fallen prepared their spears.

"Aim!" A thousand and more light spears shifted slightly in the grips of the Fallen, as they adjusting their lengths so that the tip of each spear was aimed at the courtyard bellow. And when the next command was given they will let loose the spear, raining death and destruction upon-

"_**Having seen the ending, I continue to walk down this road"**_

The words rippled across the battlefield, the undeniable weight it held gave pause to even the Fallen Angels high above. And as if they were pushed back by his words, the clouds of debris that hid from the Devil from our eyes quickly cleared, revealing…

The silence that fell upon the courtyard was almost deafening with intensity as every as every eye there gazed in wonder at what was they saw.

"He told me yes." The voice of the Sitri's heir drifted out a few seconds later in the absolute silence that had taken hold of the world, sounding just as shocked and disbelieving as I felt. "I asked him if he had a lot swords and he told me yes. Just yes. The jerk has been hanging around my sister for far too long."

They hung in the air, held up by invisible hands, by the hundreds, by the thousands they numbered. Enough to match each spear and more. They lined up row over row, spanning the width of the courtyard and still more kept appearing, conjured from thin air. Even the least among them radiated so much power I could almost feel it warming my skin like the heat of a bonfire.

Unlike Griselda or even Irina, I had no talent in sensing magic but I have always had an unnaturally good eyes for swords, sensing their nature far better than anyone Griselda had ever seen before. And I only needed a single glance to tell what masterpieces these swords were.

Swords with powers that could match the Excaliburs were made mundane as they hung next to swords so beautiful that I can look upon it for a day and night and still not have enough of its sight. Swords more pure than a mother's loved hung next to blades so hideous that I felt them stain my soul simply by the knowledge of their existence.

And still more came, filling the air with every passing heartbeat, all pointed upwards towards the Fallen host.

Now those swords straight out of legend, wielded by villains and hero alike, lined the air as they were brought to existence by the red-haired Devil that stood in the middle of it all. His golden eyes shone with an unmatched resolve as they locked onto the hate filled greys of the six-winged Fallen above him.

His spoke out the words just as the Fallen repeats his command, "Trace bullet-" / "Aim-"

""_Fire!"" _Their voice rang out as one.

From the Heavens they descended.

From the Earth they ascended.

And in between where the Heavens began and the Earth ended, they clashed.

* * *

To any of the citizens in the city that had looked up at the skies that night, they would have seen the stars themselves fall from the very sky.

They were like shooting stars, those spears of light, streaking down from the heavens and onto earth. More numerous then drops in the rain, more captivating than any flame, and far more deadly.

It was the weapon that Heaven sends upon those that dare to defy it. With a hundred of its Angels, it brought down the Tower of Babel in a single wave. Now once again it came falling down upon the earth, this time by ten times that number and it was as if a waterfall of white light had tumbled down out of Heaven's gates.

It was a force so powerful that even the strength of the mountains themselves could not bear its weight. What can the might of a single Devil do against such a thing? It should have crushed him, swept him aside with the utmost ease before tearing through the crust of the earth that he stood on.

It did not.

It was stopped by steel.

Spear point met sword edge and broke upon it. Burning light fought against cold metal and was extinguished. They were the weapons of Heaven, a power God had bestowed on his Angels but they were surpassed by the power of a single man.

Blade of finest steel shot from the ground to the skies, tossed upward by invisible hands. And they greeted the spears of their enemies in an explosion of light. It filled the sky in endless stream of fireworks, sending shockwaves of noises echoing through the city.

Yet over the hundreds upon hundreds of blows have been exchanged, not a single blade has been destroyed. It was always the spear that shattered, split and fragmented on the unyielding edge of the blade.

Like the water of waterfall breaking upon the surface of the earth, so too did the light spears on the break on the curtain of steel swords that rose up to defy. They could not harm it, could not defy it, could do nothing but knock it away.

Light was stopped by steel.

It was then pushed back.

They tossed wave after desperate waves of spears but for every spear was they threw down another blade rose up to match it. However while a single sword was more than a match for any spear, the same could not be said for the reverse. The price of two or more was needed to be paid to deflect even the least among the blades, and it was a price the Fallen could not afford pay.

The toll began to tell.

It began slowly, barely notable to even the keenest of eyes, but moment after moment it began to pick up speed and soon all watched in disbelief as the great waterfall of light was pushed back, slowly reversing its course was sent back up into the Heavens where it came from, rejected by the earth itself.

The Fallen could do nothing but watch with uncomprehending eyes as their end approached them. Even as they continued to desperately conjure and cast more spears to fight back the tide of steel that rose up from the ground to drown them in but they could hold it back no longer.

Defeat has come for them at last, with their death following its wake.

After a millennia of fighting undefeated, the Fallen Host have has finally lost.

Then Kokabiel entered the battlefield.

* * *

He unhurriedly rose out of from his crouch, with all of his usual grace, as if there wasn't a battle going on over head.

He raised his head and revealed his face to the skies above him. The clash of swords and spear overhead released explosions of light, illuminating parts of his face for a moment before casting it back into shadow before repeating again.

Standing on top of the building's roof he gazed at the battlefield above him with empty eyes. No rage, no anger, no excitement, just emotionless pits of ice blue.

He did nothing for a moment, as he watched his troops fight and fail against the human clad in the flesh of a Devil. He watched as the might of their light was broken on the strength of his steel and did could not but feel bitter disappointment in his heart.

The boy was strong, remarkably so but it was not enough. Nowhere near enough.

Humanity could not be saved with this alone.

He then turned his eyes to the ground and looked down at his dead men. These were his friends, not even his Fall, not even after their Father's death did they leave him, such was their loyalty. They were his brothers, even had they not shared the same father he would have proudly called them that as he embraced them as family. And now they lay dead on the field bellow him.

But he did not mourn them.

Why should they be mourned? All of them knew what awaited them at their journey's end was neither heavenly rewards nor eternal Glory but the unforgiving embrace of death. Even he would be no exception. No matter if they win or lose, they would all be dead within the year.

Yet still they did not leave him, did not hesitate to walk down this road knowing what awaited them. They will fulfill their duty to their bitter end, knowing that they will be neither rewarded nor thanked.

So what reason did have to mourn them? He would be joining them all soon enough, just as he promised them he would. They will all be untied in the end once again.

But still, somewhere in his heart he felt pain. Only the knowledge that he would see them soon enough allowed him to carry on.

He shut his eyes as he bowed his head in regret at what must be done. For a long moment of silence, he did nothing but pray. And when he did move, when he finally open his eyes to the world again, they were no longer empty.

They shone with absolute power.

On the battleground beneath him, all but one of the Devils and humans were forced down to their knees. Pushed down by the mere presence he was radiating, crushed as if a hand of some invisible God forced them down. Some were forced flat on the ground, unable to lift their head before his might.

He turned his eyes back up to the skis again and this time raised a single hand up high, fingers stretched open, as if trying to grab the Heavens themselves.

Then he clenched his hand.

The world light up with all the brightness of day. Not a single shred of shadow marked the world until the white skies.

It was as if the morning dawn had come and gone, and a new day was well on its way. The light that filled the sky was so bright that it reflected off the floating clouds, painting them a pure white as if it hung in the day's sky not the night's.

Or at least, what little bits of clouds one could see past the spears.

There were countless of them. They filled the entire sky by the tens of thousands, each shining like a sun. They painted the entire sky a glimmering white, as if a shimmering lake of liquid light hung in the skies above and flooded it from horizon to horizon.

The night was turned into day as the entire city was illuminated brighter than the light of a single sun ever could.

Kokabiel lowered his hands, and it was as if the sky fell.

They fell by the thousands and pushed back the steel. The blades that shot to the sky, looking to pierce the Heavens, were pushed back to the ground by the might of one of its children.

Though even his spears broke on the swords' edge, they too were shattered in turn. Fragments of metal rained down from the sky, pelting the ground bellow as they met their end on his spears.

And when the swords could not be broken, when their power were too mighty even for him to match, they were pushed aside by sheer number.

For each of the boy's mightiest of sword, he called upon a dozen or more to match it. And when that were not enough he called on a hundred, then a thousand and more of his spears to push it back down. And still more rained down upon them in a never ending downpour.

This was the power of a twelve-winged Angel. The strongest of God's soldiers, the mightiest of Heaven's children.

The world had forgotten their might. Not since the Great War had the world witnessed their true power. Not with Michael laboring behind Heaven's Gates and Azazel hidden in his labs.

They were creature of power, who could stand up to Maou's of the underworld and not be found lacking. In Heaven, they were second to none but God himself. They could destroy nations whole and raze entire continents. But it had been a Millennium since their true power was last witness on this earth.

The world had forgotten their might.

Kokabiel reminded them.

The gains the swords from the Earth have made against the spears from the Heavens was lost in seconds. In one heartbeat their advance was slowed, in the next it was haltered, and by the third it was reversed. Soon it was steel that was pushed back, sinking back down to the ground that birthed them.

An endless curtain of white was pulled down from the skies and when they fall to the ground, like how they brought about the end of the plays since the times of old, so too would this bring about the battle's end.

And yet though his victory was assured, his desired war soon at hand, Kokabiel could only look down in confusion at the face of the boy who he faced. The one whose soul was bathed in the Devil's tainted magic yet remained unspoiled. The child who he placed his faith in but had been found lacking.

The boy did not look defeated. Not angry nor even defiant as he face his coming doom.

He was smiling up at him peacefully, arms held out in welcome. And then spoke,

"_**It is my only path.**_

_**My whole life had been,"**_

The spears of light had broken down the last of his swords, and now they were tearing at him, ready to pierce through his flesh and bones but still he did not look away. His eyes locked unwearyingly on to the Fallen Lord's as he called its name.

"_**Unlimited Blade Works"**_

And the world disappeared behind a wall of flames.

* * *

I crinkled my face, as something tickled the end of my nose.

It still wouldn't disappear so I cracked my eyes open to glare at it but regretted it almost immediately as sunlight shone directly into my eyes, forcing me to shut them again and grimace in pain.

This time prepared, I forced my eyes open and glared at the culprit. A single blade of grass, paint gold by the light of the setting sun or the coming dawn. It fluttered in the slight breeze, rubbing against the tip of my nose as it did so.

Taking a deep breath before I puffed the offending grass away, observing with contentment as it leaned away. Watching it for several more seconds to make sure it won't be blown back, I let loose a sigh of contentment as I buried myself deeper in the patch of warm grass beneath me, my tired aching body demanding rest.

Just as I was about to shut my eyes and fall back to sleep again, I caught sight of a pair of yellow eyes looking back at me. It took me a couple of seconds to realize they were my own when I noticed the strands of blue hair framing it.

Before me, just inches away from my eyes was a blade, buried tip first into field of grass beneath it. I dumbly stared back at my startled face that was reflected on its surface for a few moments before I gathered my wits about me and tried to remember what had just happened.

Placing my hand one good hand beneath me, careful not to jolt my broken arm too much, I pushed myself into an upright position and examined the sword that was planted onto the grassy field before me.

"…Beautiful." The words slipped past my lips, as I stared in disbelief at it. How can a sword like this possibly exist?

I could feel the power radiating from it, far more than any sword I had ever seen before, yet it was not oppression or overwhelming. It was warm, almost welcoming, something that I had only sensed from Holy Swords in the past, yet I knew each and every single Holy Sword in the world and this was not one of them.

It was sword without peer, without equal. I had walked through the vaults of the Vatican and witnessed all of its treasures, yet none could match this one's splendor.

Its edge was flawless, free from any blemishes or imperfections and looked sharp enough to split light itself. I stared at the patch golden grass that was reflected on flat of its blade, its polished steel acting better than any mirror. Its hilt was the colour of the purest gold, wrapped around by a fine green hide I could not recognize and ending a jeweled pommel.

Yet for all of its beauty and almost delicate appearance I knew that this was a sword crafted for war. Knew it had seen it, been wielded in it and thrived there as it bathed in the blood of its enemies and emerged victorious every time. Knew that its unchipped edge did not reflect its lack of use but was a testament to its power, that none it had ever faced had ever been able to leave its mark upon it.

And suddenly I knew the sword's name.

"Durandal."

That was its name, I was sure of it. But this blade was not Durandal, could not be it. It was not my Durandal, the Holy Sword that had chosen me as its wielder when I was eleven.

And yet, and yet the achingly familiar longing that I felt in the heart of my soul as I looked upon it, the way it called out to me left me in no doubt. This was Durandal, the blade of Saint Roland just as surely as my own was.

How? How can two swords, both of them originals exist?

*thud*

My back thumped against something slender and solid as I had leaned backwards without meaning to. I turned around to look at what I had ran into and found myself looking at another sword. Before I could so much as examine it I caught sight of another planted into the ground next to it, and another next to that one and still another after that.

I looked around to find myself surrounded by swords. Easily a dozen and more surrounded me, sprouting out of the ground as if they were trees. There were so many of them that they blocked the sight of the world around me, caging me between their blades and inadvertently creating a curtain of steel around me.

Cradling my broken arm to my chest I pushed off the ground with the other, forcing myself to my feet. I wobbled for a moment, my legs having trouble holding up my weight, before I regained my balance and planted both my feet firmly on the ground.

After sparing my feet one final glance, satisfied that they'll hold up for now, I raised my head and look at the scenery around me and what I saw was…

…a world of endless swords.

They rose out of the ground like tombs of a grave, standing tall, proud and ever vigil under the rays of the setting sun. Each one was an unparalleled masterpiece, a peerless blade. They were laid out before me in their thousands, stretching out in every direction towards the distance horizon and beyond, far father than my eyes could ever see.

Wars have been fought for such swords, entire nations were brought to their knees by their strength and legends were born on the might of their steel. History had been rewritten time and again by the ones who wielded them and kings who owned mountains of gold would look upon their owners with envy.

Men had died for the right to hold a single one of these blade. Heroes journeyed the globe to battled Devils and Demons alike to prove worthy of one. And now they were laid out before me in their untold thousands, in numbers beyond continuing, beyond understanding, even beyond limit.

An Unlimited Blade Work.

A gentle breeze flew past me, blowing the bangs of my hair past my face. The grass beneath my feet swayed with the wind, their calf-high stalks bending in the breeze, sending a slow rolling waves running through the fields of grass that surrounded me.

The grass rose out from the ground as far as I can see, standing side by side with swords of steel that littered the land they grew from. There was nothing else in this place, nothing but a land of rolling grass and sharpened steel. It should have been a world of green, this place of grasslands and blades.

But this world was anything but green.

Dyed under the rays of the setting sun, the world around me was painted the colour of crimson-gold. The steel of the swords reflected the rays of the sun, setting them ablaze with a crimson fire as they continued to stand over the fields of rippling gold.

It should have been a beautiful sight, a wonder to behold but I felt no joy at the sight of it. Instead my eyes water and vision blurs as an emotion I could neither name nor understand swelled in my chest. For a reason I did not understand my soul ached at the sight of those swords.

I knew that they were just swords, unloving and unfeeling steel. But as I continued to watch them standing with their hilts help up to the sky, as if they were waiting for someone to come and wield them, as if they were patiently waiting for the arrival of the one who may never appear, my heart just broke and I felt a single teardrop run down the side of my cheek.

_Lonely_.

That's what I feeling, they looked lonely. Though they were countless of them, those swords unmoving and unbending as their hilts reached out for the sky, they looked as if they stood utterly alone.

Before I could ponder more on the matter, I was distracted by the sound of grinding gears coming over head. I looked up, my eyes scanning the sky but there was nothing unusual there. Just the red and orange hues of the dusk sky.

Still, I knew I heard something, so I kept looking. I kept looking until-

"Oh my God," I almost lost my balance as I leaned my head further back to look at them, "what happened to the sky?"

In the gold and crimson skies above me, hung massive metal gears. Larger than any building, they must have weighed thousands of tones easy, but they hung there in the sky above me as if they were weightless, suspended above me like the clouds themselves.

With nothing holding them up they turned ever slowly, rotating and grinding against one another. Their metallic exterior was so smooth that it act like mirrors, reflecting the sky and the clouds around them on their surface, allowing it to blend in with the rest of the sky.

"Xenovia," a voice called out from my left. I turned and found Irina standing next to me, looking around in bewilderment, "where…where are we?"

She wasn't the only one who was there either. I could see Griselda sitting on the ground a little further off, and the rest of the Devils from the Gremory and Sitri Peerage not too far behind her. Many of them were too injured to move, and instead remained were they sat or lay on the ground.

I turned my head as I caught a flicker of movement off the side and spotted the Host of Fallen drifting not too high off the ground much further away from where we were, with Kokabiel standing firmly on the ground beneath them. They too were looking around in confusion.

When did they get here? Were they always there and I didn't notice or did they just appear?

"What is this place?" Despite the words, Kokabiel did not sound confused so much awed as he looked around him. His eyes locked onto a sword before him and, after a moment of contemplation, he tentatively reach out his hand towards the hilt but a voice called out, interrupting him before he could grab it.

"My soul." The voice answered.

* * *

I ran my hand across the blades of grass growing from the ground of my Reality Marble, feeling oddly giddy as I did so.

Something _grows_ here.

This was no desolated landscape, a desert of nothing but iron and steel where little lives or grows and never for long, not without withering and dying. This was not Archer's Reality Marble, it was mine. And as I continued to run my fingers through the blades of grass I felt content with that thought.

Something can live here.

I was not wrong, this path while a hard one was not a wrong one. This land maybe a place of eternal twilight, a world where the sun will never truly set nor the promised dawn ever appear but it was a world where something other than me can live.

I still remember vividly Archer's reactions when he first saw it. How he looked around in disbelief before staring at me for a long moment and told me 'you really are different'. Then he smiled. It wasn't his usual ones, his harsh mocking sharper than broken glass of a smile that he would often give me. This was different, watching it was like watching a new dawn, bright innocent and so very warm.

It was such a smile.

Pulling my hands away from the grass, I rose up and turned towards the horizon. I looked past the fields of rolling glass and endless swords that filled them and stared at the distant horizon that hid the sun from sight.

It will come. One day my dawn will come and this world will be bathed under the light of a sky the colour of clearest of blues. I will make sure it happens, after all what kind of Hero would I be if I couldn't even save myself. That is why I will make sure that one day, the dawn will come.

…but that was for another day.

I turned my back to the horizon. Right now I had something else to do, someone else to save. I shut my eyes and focused, searching for the others. This was my realty marble, a manifestation of my very soul, I knew it better than I could possible know anything else. I knew where every sword lay, where every blade of grass swayed in the wind as easily as I knew where my fingers were. And finding them all in this place was almost child's play.

When I brought them into my world, I made sure to scatter them all across my Reality Marble, a helpful little trick I learned to do not too long ago. It wouldn't do to draw them all in here but place them side by side to an enemy that was just trying to kill them. After all-

I frowned as I noticed something wrong. Someone was in here that wasn't supposed to be. Whoever they were I couldn't recognize them. And it definitely wasn't one of the Fallens or Devils, this person was human. And not one of the Exorcists, I already have all three of them accounted for.

It didn't matter, I didn't have time to waste with whoever this was. While I couldn't identify much about them, not even their gender, I could sense the magic coming from the intruder so at the very least whoever this human was they were at least magically aware. That meant I didn't have to worry about erasing their memories. So for the time being I'll let them wander alone away from everyone else but keep them away from the fight. I'll deal with whoever it was when this was all over.

That decided, I mentally pushed the matter to one side as I searched for the others and quickly drew them to me, while making sure to keep the Fallen separate from the rest.

I felt them come to me in an instant. In this place distance had no meaning to me. It wasn't teleportation or anything like that but rather, it felt like floding the pages of a map together to bring two objects closer to one another.

And just like that, I felt them arrive all around me. There was no distortion, no loud nosie to herald their arrival. They simply took one step someplace else and by the time they set their foot down they found themselves here. First the exorcist, then Sona and Gremory with their Peerages and final Kokabiel with his army of Fallen.

"What is this place?" I heard Kokabiel question as I opened my eyes, though it didn't seem like it was directed at me. I wasn't sure he even noticed me. Nevertheless, I decided to answer him.

"My soul."

In any other circumstances it would have been funny to see so many heads, especially those of all three factions, whip around as one to face me. So fast that I was sure more than a few of them suffered from whiplash.

As it was I only allowed myself a mildly amused smile to make its way to my lips as I greeted them, "I welcome you all to my soul, to my _Unlimited Blade Works."_

I was greeted by a wave of confusion filling faces, though I could see a flicker of comprehension dawning on Kokabiel's face. But it was the blue-haired exorcist's reaction that caught my attention the most. She didn't look confused or surprised, just sad as she started at me with…was that pity in her eyes?

"Shirou," I turned to see Sona cautiously approaching me. She was looking around her as she did so, her eyes opened so wide that I could see the white of her eyes. She wasn't the only one either. While the exorcists being humans could neither sense nor properly comprehend the scale of the magic flowing out of the world around them, that wasn't the case with the Devils or even the Fallen.

They were surrounded by thousands of swords, where even the least among them was radiating enough power to match an Excalibur, and more than a few of which could bring down an entire mountain, and each and every one of them knew it.

"Shirou," Sona repeated and even now she could not stop looking about herself, only stopping to stare at the great gears that hung without support in the sky as even now they continued to slowly turn and grind against one another, "Where are we?"

I smiled at her, not the least surprised that she did not understand what I meant. Most didn't after all and Sona had always been a realistic and practical sort. Logic and reason were what ruled her mind. Something like this that not just borders on the impossible, but runs over logic like a truck before backing up and running over it again, would not have been something she could easily accept.

Only someone with an extremely flexible and imaginative mind could accept something like this easily. A mind like Serafall's for instance.

Oh Hell, Serafall. When she visited my Reality Marble for the second time she ignored all my attempts to explain it to her and declared that as the owner of my soul that it was her right to redecorate the place, as the Unlimited Blade Works was the literal embodiment of it. She then somehow managed to produce thousands of pink ribbons from who knows where and proceeded to tie it around the hilt of ever sword she could find.

I shook my head in an attempt to dispel the memory from my head, having never been more gratefully that nothing could remain in my Reality Marble that was not a part of it. I would be too ashamed to bring anyone in here otherwise.

"I already told you," I answered Sona, "this," I waved a hand around us, "is my soul."

"But what does that even mean?" Her frustration at my not answer finally breaking thought her shock, causing her to turn and glare at me. I had to resist the urge to pinch her check at how adorable she looked trying to be so commanding.

"It means exactly what it sounds like, this is my soul. Everything in here, every blade of grass, every sword and even the ground you walk on, everything is a part of my soul. All that your eyes are can see and everything it cannot is the physical manifestation of my soul.

"All of this Sona," I indicated the world around me with my arms, "is my Reality Marble, the Unlimited Blade Works, and it is the manifestation of my inner-world, my very soul given form."

"A world?" a voice whispered out. I turned to find Kokabiel staring at me with a look of utter awe, enough that it made me feel more than a little uncomfortable. "You've created a world?" He looked around himself one more time to make sure he what he was seeing was real before he turned back to me, his face no less reverent than before.

"Shirou…Do you realize what you've done?" He questioned, seemingly almost in a state of shock "You've created a world Shirou, a _world_! That is something only a God can do. Something that only they can accomplish.

"Father with Heaven, Odin with Valhalla, Hades and his the realm of the Dead. That is a power belonging to the Gods alone. To forge an entire realm, where only they rule and everything in it falls under their command. That is something only the can do, and you…you did this?"

He titled his head to one side as he looked me in the eyes. I felt him scrutinized me, dissecting me with his eyes as he searched through me. Then he acted.

It came without warning. No tells whatsoever. So fast that I was sure that I was the only one who could see him move. In less time it took most people could blink, Kokabiel conjured a spear and hurled it at me, moving nothing but a single arm as the rest of him stood stock still. It crossed the space between us before anyone else realized what was happening.

I didn't dodge, didn't block, didn't so much as move. I didn't need to. Not here, not in this place where only I ruled. Nothing could hurt me here unless I allowed it.

A sword shot down from the sky and slammed onto the oncoming spear. It tore through it, shattering it to pieces before it buried itself on the ground between us.

It was over before anyone else could even comprehend what just happened.

"So it true." he breathed out in disbelief, ignoring the sounds of alarm from around us as the others finally reacted. The uncomfortable looks of reverence returned to his face. "You can control everything in here. You've breached the realm of the very Gods themselves and you did this…with just your soul?" He continue to stare at me for a time before he began to laugh.

It started out small, soft breaths that could hardly count as laughter, but it quickly grew. His shoulder began to shake and shake as the sound of his laughter began to grow faster before he simply threw his head back and laughed. By the end of it his entire frame shook from the force of his laughter and still it went on until he seemed to run out of breaths and his laughter began to taper off to the soft breaths for laughter that he started out with.

"This is it." He began after he finally got a hold of himself, flashing me a wide smile. "This is what Father spoke of, what he saw in man that day. This is the power of the mankind, the potential of the human soul-"

"No." Kokabiel stopped, then turned and looked at me in surprise at my interruption.

"No?" He parroted, tilting his head in incomprehension.

"No," I repeated with a slow shake of my head, "while the Unlimited Bladeworks is many things, the pinnacle of mankind it is not. The thing that you seek is something greater, something far more sublime than this world of steel."

"You-" he asked with a face filled utter bewilderment, "You mean to say there's more?"

"Kokabiel," I admonished him with a smile, "you should know better than anyone that when it comes to humans, there is always more."

Again he looked completely bewildered before "Pfft-" a muffled laughter escaped his lips "Hahahaha! You're right, you're absolutely right. Of course there is more! I had forgotten, with your kind there is always more. What else can I expect of a race that embodies potential?" Then he laughed again.

I waited for him to finish, watching as has he announced his joy to the world with guileless innocent laughter, so happy for the accomplishments of race that was not even his own. When he was finally done I spoke.

"So?" I asked.

"So?" he asked back, a mischief smile on his lips as his eyes twinkled with unconcealed amusement.

I shook my head at his sudden bout of childishness, "Will you surrender?"

"Will the Devils leave humanity be? Will the Three Factions withdraw from the world of man and let them live in peace?"

"No," I could not lie to him, not even if it meant that it might stay his course and save his life. He deserved better than that, "That will never happen. So long as there is something for them to gain, those that are not humans will never leave humanity alone." It has always been that way.

He slowly shook his head had at me, a fond smile still adorning his face, "Then I'm sorry my friend but that is something I cannot do."

I nodded in understanding, not having expected anything else. "So we fight?"

"We fight." He nodded in response.

Then he took a moment to look me in the eyes and I stared back in turn. There was no need for us to say anything. We both understood without words that this will be last time we'll ever meet. Then as one we turned away from each other and began to walk away.

As I made my way forward, striding past the calf high grass that brushed against my legs as I did so, I sensed him taking flight behind me. When I had reached a reasonably distance from everybody else, I turned around and faced the fallen army that had were still soaring in the sky, just in time to see Kokabiel take his rightful place at the head of it.

Kokabiel hovered in the air for a moment, doing nothing but gazing across the sword filled landscape beneath him. He turned his eyes skywards, towards the colossal gears the continued to toil and turn in near silence before turning to look towards the distant horizon the hid the sun from view. "Yes," even with the distance between us I heard as clearly as if I stood next to him, "this would do. This isn't such a bad place to die."

He turned around to face his army of Fallen, all of whom stared back at him expectedly. "BROTHERS," He called out to them, "in the time beyond counting that we have known each, fought by one another, we have faced many foes. From the accursed Devils to our fellows Angels in the Great War, and even the servants of other pantheons in the time before that."

A sword in the ground before me began to rattle for a moment within the grip of the earth that held it, before it was slowly lifted out of the ground, pulled up into the air by an invisible hand.

"But tonight, we face an enemy unlike any other. What stands before us brothers is not a Devil, but a man. Though his soul has been bathed by the depth of their corruption it has emerged untainted, his spirit remains unbroken and pure. In that soul brothers, I see hope. For the first time since our Father's demise hope exists for mankind."

A second sword off to my left was raised off the ground and joined the first in the air. Then a third off to the distance began to rise and another from behind. Then they rose in their twos, then threes then in their dozens.

"But is it enough? Will the spirit of a single man be enough to survive the coming storm, to lead the rest of humanity to prosperity in these dark times, or will this hope be extinguished like the many that came before it? "

By their hundred, by their thousands, the swords continued to raise, filling the sky with their steel and still more kept following after them, in never ending numbers.

"That is why we shall test it. Here and now we shall test the steel of his soul and judge its worth. We shall strike it with all of our might and see if it can emerged unscathed. And if it does, if it is we who break and fall on his steel, we can die knowing that at long last our solemn duty has been fulfilled. That the day has finally come that man no longer needs us to guide and protect them, and we can at we can at last put down our arms and let our weary souls rest."

No matter how many swords were pulled from the earth, there were more to replace. Soon the sky filled with swords, numbering more than the land beneath them could possibly had held, and still more came.

"However if he loses, it means the time for us to lay down out burden has yet to come. That we must still continue to fight on in order to fulfill our duty, to see out Father's final wish fulfilled." Kokabiel turned around and stared unflinchingly at the sky full of swords that greeted him.

"But no matter the result, whether we win or lose, this will be our final war. By its end, be it on this day or another, we will all be dead." He look on without fear at the swords before, even as they continued to rise in number. He and those that followed him were limited yet still he would dare face the unlimited.

"So I ask you," He turned back to face his men, "knowing this, will you still fight?"

A thousand and more spears of light erupted to life into hands of the Fallen was their answer.

Even from as far away I stood I could still see the expressions on the faces of the Fallen as they were illuminate by the light of their spears. Not one among them faltered as they stared resolutely at both me and up towards the swords the filled the world around them, they were committed to the last.

"I see." There was no dissuading them was there? All of them were willing to surrender their life, all to honor a Father's final wish.

One's life is a treasure, a gift beyond all measure. I truly believe that. But that doesn't mean that it is the most valuable thing you'll ever have. It is far from surprising that sometime during the course of your life, in this world filled with so many wonders, that you'll eventually find something you'll treasure even more. Be it a cause, an ideal or even a friend, for that most precious of treasures you'd willing give your life up a thousand times over. And do it with a smile every time.

I can't even ask them to stop can I? Not without insulting even more. Any mercy I show them will be unwanted and unneeded. If that's the case then I will offer them none. These people have done too much, sacrificed themselves too many times only to be insulted by someone like me. They deserved far better than that.

So instead I will grant them the only thing I could.

I raised my left hand up into the air and as I did so every sword that filled the sky rotated in place, moving in time with my arm, until they were all pointed point first at the Host of Fallen before me.

I will grant them their journey's end, so that they may find rest at last.

I tried to think of something profound to say but nothing came to me, nothing but meaningless platitudes. So instead I uttered a simple, "Goodbye." and brought my hand down.

Then the swords descended.

And then they died.

It fell upon them in number beyond continuing, beyond numbering, a limitless rain of sword and steel. So many that they matched all treasures held within the Gates of Babylon and more. So powerful that they can bring down even the mightiest of Servants to their knees.

It could destroy the vastest of armies, this rain of swords and steel. Numbers against it held no meaning. Be it one or a thousand, before the unlimited all is made equal.

And at the face of such an onslaught-

Not a single one ran.

Even as their spear shattered in their very hands when they clashed with the torrent of steel, they fought on. Calling forth another spear when they could, or fighting on with their bare hands when they could not. A dozen and more swords would pierce their body yet still they would continue flinging their spears ahead, trying to fight back the unending tide of swords.

Some laughed in wonderment and joy at the power of the foe they face, while other screamed out in rage and unwavering defiance as they swung their spears but till the last they fought on, never surrendering nor despairing.

And when they were forced to the ground, dragged down by the sheer weight of the steel that clung to their flesh, still they fought on. Dragging their broken body across the ground, staining the grass with their blood, and forcing themselves to their feet, only stopping when another barrage of swords tore through their body and even then they only did so when the hearts in their chest stopped beating.

From a thousand that they began with, their numbers quickly dropped down to their hundreds and then dozens. The dead bodies of the defeated rained down around the still defiant living, and yet still they did not falter.

But defiance and spirit meant nothing against the hard unforgiven edge of cold steel. And so they continued to die until there were only a handful left, barely clinging to life as the swords continued to fall in unending numbers.

And in the heart of it all was Kokabiel.

It was like grace given form, talent personified. Though it was like watching a whirlwind, there was no chaos, no disorder. Every move had a purpose, every action a goal, not a single motion wasted. I thought I had seen talent during the Holy Grail War, that I had seen the pinnacle of skill in arms that can be achieved, but I was wrong. For in the end Servants, as mighty as they are, were still human. Mortal.

Even Assassin, who had spent a lifetime honing his skill, had only spent a fraction of time training that this Angel had. This was a being that have lived for eons and dedicated the entirety of the last Millennium honing his skill in arms and it showed.

The spear in his hands blurred, leaving trials of shimmering white, afterimages even my eyes cannot dispel. It was like a perfect dance, how each move flowed seamlessly to the next as all around him steel continued to crash with light.

Spears of light formed in the air by their thousands, hurled forward by unseen hands and crashing against the swords that threated to drown them. They created a sphere around him, where sword and spears clashed, while he fought on in the heart of it all.

And through it all he laughed.

The spears could only hold back the tide but an instant before they failed but an instant was all he needed. When the swords broke through, as they inevitably did, he would be ready for them. He danced and weaved around them as he whooped with joy, his laughter filling the air even as he barely avoided death only to face it once again.

Ducking under high blows and flying over the low, spinning and side-stepping the ones that came at his sides, he avoided the swords that broke through his barraged. When it was not possible for the strike to be dogged, even for one of his ability, he would deflect them with the spear in his hands.

Against a swords of legend, a Noble Phantasm in their perfect form, even his spears would be no match. They shattered in his hands but even with their destruction their purpose was fulfilled and the sword would be diverted, flying harmlessly away. He would then promptly conjure another spear in preparation to deflect the next sword.

And still it wasn't enough.

Skill can only do so much in the face of endless steel. All around him the rain of steel continued to fall, steadily pushing forward even as his spears vainly tried to hold them back. They kept closing in all around him, shrinking the space he had at the heart of his formation, as all the while the number of swords that broke through his spears would steadily rise.

Then the inevitable happened. He slipped up.

He had positioned himself incorrect, placing himself in the line of fire of two different swords that broke through his spears. They came at him one after the other, blocking his line of escape, and they did so at his most vulnerable moment. He was unarmed, having lost his previous spear deflecting a sword and did not have enough time to conjure another before they were upon him.

He could have avoided one sword but not the other. Not without throwing himself in between the swords and spear that battled all around him. He could neither evade them nor deflect them.

So instead he intercepted them.

It was one of the most remarkable example of swordsmanship I had ever seen. Moving so fast that even with my reinforced eyes I could barely see him move. He spun in place, counterclockwise, allowing the first sword to fly through where his left shoulder would have been as he turned. But before the sword could fly out of his reach his hand reached out and snatched the sword out of the air.

Using the momentum of his spin to carry the sword with him, he brought it overhead and swung it down onto the approaching second sword, intending to deflect it with the first.

It was a brilliant maneuver, one that would have impressed even the most experienced of fighters. It should have been impossible to achieve during the chaos of live combat, yet he pulled it off seamlessly. It was something I had never seen before and may never see again.

It was a shame that I couldn't allow him to complete it.

Just before the two swords clashed, I willed the first one out of his hands. And it complied immediately, eager to obey, disappearing from his grasp like it was never there. That should have ended him then and there but once again Kokabiel's inhuman reflexes came to play.

The slight widening of his eyes was the only sign he allowed to show of his surprise as he twisted his body out of the way, bending almost painfully to get out of the sword's path, and what should have been a mortal blow through his chest was turned into a deep gash in his side instead.

"Remarkable!" He laughed as if his blood did not spill out of his side and stained the ground far beneath him. "Truly remarkable! No one can use these swords but you, can they?" The curiosity and pure glee in his voice was unmistakable. It was if his death had no meaning to him.

"But," he turned his eyes towards me, just as he side-step a sword that came bearing down at him and used a newly summoned spear to knock away another, "this is not all of it. You found it, haven't you? The light Father spoke of?"

He was cut-off as he had to weave around another barrage of swords, but he soon carried on. "I want to see it. I want to understand what Father meant all those years ago. I want to know. Show it to me." For the first time I saw a true sliver of fear flash onto his face, something that even his dead could not bring, just as his voice turned imploring, "…Please?"

I shut my eyes as I answered, "…Of course." It was the reason why I brought him here after all. Without opening my eyes I reached out to my side, towards the sword that I knew was there.

Unlike any other sword I hadn't called for it, didn't summoned it, I didn't need to, never did. It was always there, always waiting. It had never left my side ever since that day, even after its master no longer remained here with me, it stayed.

This was a sword that I always kept closest to my heart, thus it was always by my side.

As I wrapped my hand firmly around its hilt, I opened my eyes and smiled up to the Angels. "You didn't need to ask." I told him, "I promised to save you didn't I?" Then I pulled the Sword from the earth-

-And the world was bathed in all the colour of the morning dawn.

It shone in my hands like a second sun, as if it held a one within its very steel. It blazed to life the moment I freed it from the ground, shining like a sword forged from light itself. It should have been painfully to look, lifting the sword up as I did and holding it by my face, it should have blinded me shining as brightly as it was but it was anything but painful. I could stare right into its heart and all I felt was its warmth, it was as if my soul was bathed under the light of the warmest of summer days.

In the grass fields of my Reality Marble, motes of gold began to appear. Little sphere of golden fire, they moved like fireflies in the air, called forth by the sword.

They danced around in the fields of grass, weaving around and over stems like playful children as their numbers continued to steadily grow until they appeared to match every blade of grass with their number, forming an illusion that I was surrounded by a lake of rippling gold.

Slowly, so gently it felt they were carried by the wind, they began to drift into the air before they turned and began to gather towards the sword, swirling around its blade, drawn in by it.

From the skies above the rain of steel lessened before tapering to a halt, their strength no longer needed. The Fallen, the handful that remained, finally having a reprieve from the unending barrage of swords had their first opportunity to attack. Committed as I was to wielding this sword, they may have even succeeded.

However none of them took advantage of it. No, perhaps it simply never occurred to them to. All of them were staring widely at the sword I held in my hand. They couldn't look away, unwilling to look away, captivated as they were by its radiance.

"I…I know this," Kokabiel, taking a step forward from where he, along with the remaining Fallen, had drifted to the ground. He reached out a hand before him, looking at the light that was reflected in his palm as if it was physical thing. He stared down into his hand with such frail look of hope on his face, his expression so fragile as if he dare not believe it was real, before looking back up into the sword. "I know this light."

"You should," I told him, raising the blade even higher as I did so, allowing all to see it, "it was what you were looking for after all."

Though it radiated a holy light, it did not harm any of the Devils around me. I could see the looks of disbelief and awe on their faces, the wonder reflected in their eyes as they stared at the Holy sword. Entranced by a blade too beautiful to be called beautiful, they looked on despite knowing they shouldn't.

Some stared at the little fireflies that had gathered around them, before running past them towards my sword. Some of them reached out a hand to catch one of them, only to find them slipping through their hands as it was never there.

As Devils, they should have died under its light. It should have blistered their skin, burned their flesh to the bone, bathed as they were under the light of this holiest of swords. It did no such thing, instead it welcomed them with its light. Greeting them like a long lost friend, filling them with a warmth that could only be found in a mother's embrace.

They had nothing to fear from this sword, it would never harm an innocent no matter what form it took. This wasn't a sword of God but of Man. And be it Devil or man, it rejected no one from its light, denied none the warmth of its embrace.

It was such a sword.

No matter how far they have fallen, so long as a splinter of good still shined in their soul, it would call out to it. I have seen it happen, reading the history etched in its blade. How looking upon its light made even Caster of the previous Holy War remember the memories and glories of his past, before his descent to murder and occult, back when he served alongside Joan of Arc, evoking tears and even regret in his final moments.

It was a sword that, by merely existing, made the world a better place.

"Can you see it Kokabiel?" I asked him, as the sword radiated in my hands, illuminating one side of my face. "Can you see it engraved on its blade? Our hopes, our dreams, the desperate wishes of mankind that's reflected in its light?"

* * *

_This is the manifestation of mankind's great desire, it the crystallization of the prayer named "glory" and everything etched in the hearts of those who are scattered at the sword's radiance; _

Xenovia watched as the sword of legend, the blade of the mightiest of kings was held in the hands of the red-haired boy before her. She could not look away as she listened to his words, captivated by the beauty of the sword's radiance.

Though the boy had not called its name, he did not need to, for she already knew it. She realized what it was the moment she was caught sight of its light. How can she not? After all-

All know its name.

It was E-

She felt a pair of arms warp around her, interrupting her thoughts and encasing her in a familiar warmth.

"You hold it like this," a nostalgic voice, one she hadn't heard for so, _so _long, told her as the hands that embraced her adjusted her grip of the wooden sword she held in her tiny hands, "That's how you do it."

She turned her head to look over her shoulders and a seven year old Xenovia found herself looking into the honey brown eyes of one she lost long ago. "Mom?"

The blue-haired women smiled down at her daughter she held in her arms. "Hello my little blue bird."

* * *

-_the nostalgic, sorrowful, and hallowed dreams of those who were placed on the bloody hell called a battlefield, of all warriors past, present, and future fully exposed to the fear of death and despair, and yet who still cling to a desire: 'to be exalted.'_

"Stop it! It tickles."

A young girl with hair of purest white squealed with laughter as she pulled on the raven locks of an older girl who rubbed her face against her belly while she was held her in her arms.

She tilted her head from where it still remind on her stomach, revealing eyes gold that sparkled under the morning's light.

"Shirone, my little white sound, you are my treasure. You know that right?" She smiled up into the girl in her arms that looked down at her with eyes so similar to hers. "My most precious treasure. For you, I pray that your life will be filled with the music of your laughter, my little white sound. May the sound of your name be woven to that of eternal laughter." She looked so sincere, so happy at that moment as she stared into the eyes of her little sister before she buried her face back into the girl's stomach.

"Ahahaha, Nee-san that tickles" The little girl giggled in the older girl's arms as she rubbed her face on her tummy, half-heartedly trying to fight free from her embrace before she found herself gentle hauled up in to the air.

Held straight out before her sister's face, she had a clear look at her tender expression as she spoke. "I love you Shirone, more than you can ever know and I always will. Till the sun and the stars in the sky extinguish themselves and forever after, I will always love you. And I'll never stop."

"Hm!" The little girl nodded at her older sister's words, never doubting it for second. "Neh, Nee-san. You and me, we'll always be together right?"

"Right." She promised without hesitation, nodding back with a smile. Before a squeal of laughter erupted from the little girls as her sister began tickling her sides.

Tears drops glistered under the light of sword as they pooled under her eyes before spilling down the side of Koneko's listless face.

Her broken body was set down on its side on the grass filled ground, as her frame occasionally shook with entirely silent sobs. Her empty unseeing eyes, wet with her tears stared blankly ahead, lost in long gone memories of better days.

* * *

_It is the light that continues to shines in the darkest of nights. Our defiance at those who will try to extinguish the good in us all. Our honor that will never be stained._

_Though forged by inhuman hand, by the will of the planet itself, it was crafted from the desires of mankind, the crystallization of our wishes. Born from our very hearts and it is the greatest of mankind's fantasy given form._

"Hahahaha, look at you! You've grown into an old Granny, Griselda!"

"Shut up Luka" She muttered at the apparitions before her though the fondness in her voice was unmistakable as she gazed into the forms of her three lost friends.

Once they were four and they traveled the globe, going on adventure after adventure. Rescuing innocents, battle monsters and defying Evil before partying the night away after every battle. They were Heroes in every meaning of the word. Such was their adventures that their tales have been made legend.

But even legends must end sometime.

"Truly time has taken its toll on you oh fair Griselda." The well well-dressed man in a green tunic with a pair of old specs adoring his face gave her a bow. Even as he bent his body forward he never released the old leather-bound book from his ink-stained hands.

"Are you two sure that's really Griselda? She looks so old with all of those wrinkles, there is no way it can be her." Though the teasing smile on the raven haired beautify belied her words. Her long curled tresses ran down her back down to her waist where a pair of swords hung off her belt.

"It's been 40 years since you guys died. Of course I've grown old." Though her voice was gruff, she wore a fragile smile on her face as she stared up at them. A pair of old callused fingers rubbed against her tear filled eyes.

"Hahahaha, yeah well sorry about that." A brown haired youth laughed out, as if their death was only a mere inconvenience. Dressed up in an old pilot jacket, with a pair of goggle on his head. Over his back he strapped a large claymore that was almost as long as he was tall. "Well, we're here right now, all together again at last." He stretched a hand "Well come on, let's go, another adventure awaits. It's been too long since we've been on our last one."

She smiled forlornly back up at him but didn't take his hands "I'm old Luka, my Adventure is long over."

"What are you talking about?" he shot her a perplexed look before throwing his arms in the air. "The Adventure is NEVER OVER! As long as we keep on fighting, it will never end. Because even when we have completed this one, what awaits us at our journey's end is merely the start of another!"

"So stop your complaining Griselda and let's GO!" He thrusts his hand out towards her again, "Let's return to our high sea of adventure. The start of our new journey has just begun."

Exasperated laughter escaped her lips, while a far younger Griselda smiled fondly up at the idiot before her. "Still an idiot I see." But still, this time she did not hesitate to reach out and clasped her hand with his.

* * *

_It was the blade of mankind's most beloved Lord, the greatest of all Kings. The actualization of her ideals and the symbol of her heroism, it was, and still is her greatest and most powerful Noble Phantasm. _

_To look upon its light is to gaze upon the Glory that mankind can achieve. And so long as it shines, we shall remember and never forget what we had once achieved, so that we can strive for it again._

As Kiba looked upon the sword, its light bathing his form in a warm gold, his face held a look of utter in incomprehension. "Was that… was that what I wanted to destroy?"

"Live."

He looked down at the scene before him, as the ghost of his old friends laughed with innocent joy and played in the fields of grass, chasing the golden fireflies in some game of tag.

One of them, Lillian, the oldest and big sister of his old group of friends, had walked out of the throng of playing children and approached him. And now as she stood before him, she repeated her words.

"Live," she urged as she smiled kindly at his kneeling form, "Kiba- Live. Please for us, you must live."

He stared dumbly at her, as comprehension dawned on him while tears continued to fall down his face.

"What…what have I been doing?" He asked himself, looking down at his empty palms. "Have I…Have I really been living? Have what I been doing can really be called living?"

* * *

Kokabiel looked on in wonderment at the boy that stood with a sword crafted from the light of the human soul in his hands, a light that he had only seen the like of come from one other individual before.

"You claim to seek the spirit of Man. Then rejoice for you're gazing upon it.

"Here in my very hands, I hold what you have been searching a millennia for." The red-haired boy called out as he looked into the eyes of the Fallen before him. "It was what God saw in us, the very pinnacle of the man's spirit. Now, hear its name-"

He raised the sword over his head and he yelled out,

**"EX-**

It pierced the heavens, clearing the very skies from clouds. The light that shot out of the blade was incomparable to what it was before, unmatched by anything else the Fallen had seen before as it brushed the very end of sky with its light.

And as Kokabiel looked upon it, the nostalgic light that reminded him so much of his father, an old memory from long ago came unbidden.

_"You've taken their form again." A melodically voice echoed through a roofless Hall that exposed itself to the clear blue skies overhead._

_ An inhumanly beautiful man walked from around one of the marble columns that decorated these hallowed halls. He had an ageless appearance though anyone can tell he was young with a single glance. With such clear innocent blue eyes that adorned his face, unknowing of the worst of life's hardships, ones that belong only on the most of guileless of children, assured that._

_"Are they really that interesting?" He asked as he approached a figure of an older man. He sat crossed legged near an edge of pool located in the heart of the hall. "Those humans of yours. Are they really that interesting that you never get bored watching them, Father?"_

_ The elder man gave a clearly exaggerated sigh of exasperation before turning to look at his son. "Kokabiel, how many times must I tell you? When we are alone you're to call me Dad. Really, what did I do to deserve such an overly respectful son?"_

_ The young Kokabiel shook his head in amused as he answered, "Right, right _Dad_. Another one of your human expression that you've picked up?"_

_ Kokabiel walked up to the edge of the pool and looked down at the milling villagers that were reflected upon its surface before he shook his head._

_ "I don't understand, what do you find so fascinating about such beings?" He tilted his head to one side as he squinted down at the reflected image, as if by doing so he'll see something he couldn't before. "Even when you're needed elsewhere, I know that you always leave a part of you behind to watch over them. I've tried to look for what you see in them but I can't find anything remarkable enough for you to give more than a passing interest, let alone all the attention you've given them."_

_ "That because you don't know that to look for." His Father didn't look up from the lake. "Give it time and you'll see, I'm sure of it. And if you give it even more time, one day these little humans that everyone keeps overlooking will outshine even myself. You'll see."_

_"Outshine you? Impossible." He spoke with all the surety of the young._

_ God let loose a small chuckle of laughter, "So naive, sometimes with all your wisdom I forget how young you really are Kokabiel." He held a hand out over the lake, fingers outstretched. "I am only one my son, while they are many. The sun may outshine a candle's flame but gather enough of them together and they will surely outshine the sun."_

_ He lowered his hand, his expression and voice taking an oddly somber tone as he turned to look up to his son that stood dutifully beside him. "Hey, Kokabiel. These little children, they may grow strong one day but right now they're still weak. Until they're fully grown they're bound to get into a lot of trouble. When that happens be sure to watch out for them, ok?" _

_ Kokabiel shrugged, "I don't see why I need to watch over them with you here." But when he looked down to see his Father still looking up to him he smiled._

_ "But sure Dad, I'll watch out for them. I'd have done so even if you hadn't asked." His cheeks flushed red as he blushed and his smile turned oddly embarrassed. "After all, just like me they're your child too. That makes them my little brothers and sisters right?" He thumped a fist to his chest, the wide yet embarrassed smile never leaving his face. "Then as their big brother there is no way I'm ever going to let them get hurt." _

**-CALIBUR!**

The sword descend, sending a colossal beam of light straight at him.

Instead of dodging Kokabiel stared at it, his eyes gleaming with unshed tears. "Can you see them Father? Look at how they shine, brighter than you ever did." His voice almost disbelieving despite himself. Then laughter spilled from his lips.

"You were right!" He laughed with pure unadulterated joy and threw his arms out in welcome as if embracing the approaching light. He yelled out just as it enveloped his form, with tears spilling from his eyes. "Father! You were right!"

And then he was gone.

Disappearing within the light he spent most of his life seeking.

_And_ _at long last the loyal Son returns to his beloved Father's side._

It may have been but a trick of the light, nothing but a wishful illusion. But just for a moment before the light enveloped him it appeared that Kokabiel's raven wings had maybe, just maybe, flickered to the colour of purest white.

* * *

The air above the empty courtyard of the prestigious Kuoh Academy began to distort, twisting as if space was being folded into itself before, with a bright flash of light, the Devils, humans and the small handful of Fallen remaining were dumped into the ground.

Unseen by all, there was one other person that appeared along with them.

Standing on the rooftop from where they were deposited stood a slim-figured grey haired youth. The youth was dressed up in a new and immaculate male Kaou Academy uniform and had a long black hilted _Nodachi_ attached at the waist.

A gust of wind blew over the rooftop causing the long ponytailed grey hair to drift in the wind and shimmer like silver under the moon-light.

"Well…" grey-eyes wide with surprise stared down at the red-haired Devil bellow before they narrowed to thin slits and a wicked smile came over the youth's face. "Wasn't that something?"

On the back of the figure's left arm, a small emerald jewel flashed twice in apparent agreement from where it was embedded in a crimson red gauntlet.

***Story End***

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So, how did I do? Did you like the fight, when Saber's Excalibur was pulled out, and most importantly did Kokabiel received the ending he deserved? Please tell me, any and all feed-back and constructive criticism is appreciated.

PS. The UBW has an unusual but subtle effect that it did not have in Canon, and it's due to Shirou's second Origin. Can any of you guess what it is?


	11. Chapter 11:Noble Phantasms and Character

**Author's Notes:**

This page is the NP and character stats page. As usual people who don't like this stuff can skip without consequence. This chapter is rather rough since I didn't have as much time to spend on it as I wish but I plan to go over it soon and fix it up.

* * *

Noble Phantasms and Character Stats

_Name: Excalibur Mimic_

Type: Anti-unit

Rank: D +

One of the seven fragments of this realm's Excalibur.

It has the ability to transform itself into any shape, weapon and material it's wielder desires. Due to this ability no one know it's true form, as even when left alone it will remain in the form it took last* (look bellow in the notes located at the bottom of this entry for more detail).

What is perhaps its most remarkable trait is its ability to completely disregard its mass. It can shrink itself down to the size of a pin or grow as large as refrigerator with ease. However after reaching the mass of 3 cubic meters, it become more difficult for the sword to increase in size but not impossible.

Up till the 3 cubic meter limit, Excalibur Mimic is capable of generating the additional mass under its own power. However afterwards it requires an outside source of Prana. How much more depends entirely on how much more mass is wanted as the amount of Prana needed would continue to increase exponentially.

Theoretically it has no limit but in practice it is impossible even for the most powerful of human magicians to increase its mass to the size of a large Truck.

Shirou is able to overcome this limit by projecting more than one sword, however this comes with a drawback of its own. Excalibur Mimic requires a massive amount of concentration to shape and even Shirou, with his well-disciplined mind, cannot wield more than two of them at the time effectively while moving in combat. Eight of them will require his entire concentration to wield effectively, so much so that he is no longer able to spare any of his mind to process the information his sight is bringing him, effectively leaving him blind.

Shirou is able to work around this problem by using Excalibur Mimic to sense the world around him instead. While he is incapable to see through the Excalibur he is able to sense anything it touches (or more accurately anything that sends vibration down the sword by either blocking its path or bumping into it). He sends thin 'tendrils' into the air to act as a warning system to anything approaching, while sending 'vines' along the floor to look for any enemies standing on the ground around him.

He is able to wield this skill effect thanks to a previous wielder who developed this method in order to fight effectively in the dark (though at a much smaller scale than Shirou). In reality, the wielder would more often than not use this skill to get things from around the house when he is too lazy to get up and do it, rather than combat.

Notes:

* This event had led to one of the most embarrassing scandals in the Church's history. As one of its past wielder's had, unknowingly to the rest of the Church at the time, being using Excalibur Mimic as a dildo. This was discovered after the wielder was found dead in his (Yes, _his_, that wasn't a typo) bedroom, having passed away from a heart attack. As no one except the wielder can alter the shape of the sword they had no choice but to leave it in the form it was found in until a new wielder can be found. It took 12 years for the Church to find a new user, and every time a potential wielder appeared they would be given the _holy _dildo and asked if they felt any connection to it. Keep in mind that most of the candidates were children, some as young as eight at the times, and you can imagine the awkward questions that were raised. Poor Shirou, due to his ability to read a sword's history, knows all of this in intimate detail.

_Name: Excalibur Rapidly_

Type: Anti-unit

Rank: D +

One of the seven fragments of this realm's Excalibur.

It has the ability to greatly boost its wielder's speed, granting even ordinary humans the ability to reach D rank Agility or higher with a skilled enough wielder. However this effect is diminished in the hands of a wielder that's already fast as the sword does not multiply the wielder's speed but adds to it. In the hands of someone possessing a rank of E- Agility will find himself becoming several times faster while in the hands of someone possessing a rank of B Agility may notice his speed only increasing by as little as a tenth of his maximum speed.

Shirou would often use this blade in combination with reinforcement when he wants to draw out every drop of speed he can.

Excalibur Rapidly contains a massive amount of Prana in comparison to its low rank. The reason why it was rank so lowly was due to the fragility of its physical body that was primarily designed to harness the power of the Excalibur fragment instead of acting as a physical weapon, thus leaving it with a frail shell. And it is due to the amount of Prana it and the other Excaliburs can hold that make them so destructive when 'broken' in comparison to their rank.

It is also the potentially most likely of all the Excalibur fragments to shatter. This is due to the increase of momentum in the swing of its wielders cause but the increase in speed it grants, however this does not lead to an increase in the sword's durability making it more susceptible to damage.

Please not that using multiple version of this sword does not increase the wielder's speed as the effect does not stack.

_Name: Excalibur – The Sword of Promised Victory_

Type: Anti-Fortress

Rank: A++

To all those who lays upon this sword, rejoice for you had witness '_Glory'. _Few can look upon its beauty and not be changed.

The strongest and most majestic of all Holy Swords that symbolizes King Arthur, the pinnacle of Holy Swords. Excalibur was not forged by mankind but crystallized within the Earth, using the wishes of mankind as the basis.

Excalibur converts the Mana of the wielder into light, and as the word is swung, the light is released from the tip of the blade like a laser beam and destroys everything in its path. Of course, the Mana consumption is extreme and even for Shirou with his inhuman amount of Prana supply it cannot be fired consecutively. The beam fired is so powerful that there exists almost nothing that can withstand the full blast of the sword and survive.

Shirou is reluctant to ever summon Excalibur outside of his Reality Marble. Not only is the Prana cost of Projecting and activating the sword much higher outside of his Reality Marble, in addition to the destructive nature of the sword that would almost guarantee a catastrophic amount collateral damage, but the sword would also be an imperfect copy.

For a Sword too beautiful to be called merely beautiful to create an imperfect copy, no matter how small the flaw, is something abhorrent to him. As unwilling as he is to see its beauty marred in any way, in addition to the other complications, he would only summon the sword outside of his Reality Marble in the most desperate of circumstances.

Since it is a Holy Sword not constructed by the hands of a God, it does not share the same characteristics that other Holy Swords that do. In this universe, 'Holy' is in an artificial element, one that does not exist in nature but must be created by Divine beings. Thus Holy would often reflect the will of the God that created it. That is why Holy Swords created by God is so deadly towards Devils, his rejection of them is reflected in the swords power.

To properly wield Excalibur, Shirou needs to be able to use both his hands. If one of is his hands is unable to function, or he is too physically weakened the bare the strain of the sword, Shirou cannot use the sword without risking losing control of it.

* * *

Sword Classification:

Holy Swords:

Please see previous entry for details (Devil's guidebook 3)

Light Swords:

Swords crafted from the element of 'Light' itself. Unlike Holy Swords, Light swords can be crafted by mankind and often is. It is the preferred weapon of choice for the servants of the Church as they are extremely effective against Devils (though nowhere near as potent as Holy Swords) and other creatures of darkness such as Vampires. What make these swords incredibly popular is the capacity for anyone to wield them.

Light Swords should not be mixed up with Holy Swords, as they are two completely different things. While it is possible for a Sword to contain both Holy and Light power, as the two elements are highly compatible with each other, they are not one and the same.

Weapons that contain both Holy and Light elements are perhaps the most deadly weapon in existence for Devils, such as Spear of Lights created by Angels, and is one of primary contributing reason why Heaven is still in equal standing with Hell despite the Devil's growing numbers and the existence of two Super-Devils.

Divine Swords:

The weapon of the Gods themselves.

Divine Swords are blades crafted by the hands of Divine beings and are meant to be wielded by them. Often a God or Divine entity will keep a portion of their own powers in the heart of these weapons, empowering them. Each of these weapons have the potential to wound or even kill Gods, as that is their primary purpose. They are swords made to be wielded by God to kill other Gods.

Divine Swords are however never meant to be wielded by human hands.

This is made especial clear simply by looking at them. Some are so large that they tower over even the tallest of buildings and weigh just as much, while other are crafted from living flames and burn as hot as the molten heart of the earth. Many warriors have died simply looking upon some of these blades let alone trying to wield them.

However there are exceptions to this rule. A rare few of these blades can be wielded by humans such as the _Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi_ or as it is better known as Kusanagi, the Grass-Cutting sword.

Demonic Swords:

Swords crafted by Demon-Kind and infused with their essence (for more information on what qualifies as 'Demon', please look up Demons Races in upcoming chapters)

Out of all of the swords these are the hardest to define as they vary so greatly in nature. Demonic Swords take on the characteristics of the power used to forge them, which is often the same as the race the crafted them.

For example Devil made Demonic Swords are often far stronger than ordinary swords, even magical ones, and are much sharper making them incredibly destructive by nature. They also can hold an additional element as well, such a Fire or Wind Demonic Swords (several of the swords crafted by the Sacred Gear Sword Birth is an example of this). However like Devils they are weak against and become less effective when match against Holy or Light Swords.

Demonic Swords crafted by Yokai races are often tied into to Youjustu and can either help cast spells of such nature or empower them. There are several of such swords that enable their users to cast illusions in combat.

However be warned, that using Demonic Swords will always require a sacrifice of some sort. It can at times be rather simple, such as fire based Demonic Swords needing to be fed the flames from a fire whenever their true power are to be used or even how the edge of some swords must taste freshly spilled blood before they can be sheathed (this can be circumvented by the wielder pricking their own thump at the tip of the sword).

Other swords however require a sacrifice of a far darker nature.

Be wary if you should ever find yourselves with a Demonic Blade that requires no sacrifice, don't let yourselves be fooled. There is always a price, and you will pay it every time you wield such a blade whether you are aware of it or not.

* * *

Name: Kokabiel

Master: God Almighty

Official Rank: A Lord of Grigori – Twelve-wings

Race: Fallen Angel

Strength: B

Endurance: B

Agility: B

Mana: B

Luck: D++

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: Spears of Light **A**

Racial skill:

**-Fallen Angel**:

As a Fallen Angel, all basic and advance abilities of a Fallen Angel are available to him.

Personal Skills:

Ascension: **A**

To gain a new pair of wings, Angels (Fallen or not) need to increase all of the base parameters to match that's of Angels who were born with that number of wings. Increasing one parameter, not matter how much, is simply not enough for an Angel to Ascend.

Kokabiel, born with ten-wings, has ascended to the highest possible form an Angel could become, a twelve-winged Angel.

To do so was no easy task, as for him to ascend he need to raise all of his parameters of Strength, Agility, Endurance and Mana to the Rank of B. It was only after he spent 800 years constantly training did he succeed in doing so, becoming one of only two Angels that have not been born as twelve-winged Angels to Ascend to such a rank.

Charisma: **A**

Beloved by friends and enemies alike. Such is his charisma that enemies that he had fought and attempt to kill several times in the past are still willing to greet him with open arms and call him a friend. There have been several occasions where in their first meeting Kokabiel was able to gain the loyalty of complete strangers to follow and fight alongside him.

Kokabiel had been able to lead a Legion of 35,000 Angels to willingly Fall in service of their God. Even after of his death there are several remaining fallen who are still obeying his final commands. This has granted him the Rank A in Charisma.

Charisma is the natural talent to command an army. Increases the ability of allies during group battle. A rare talent that is said that a rank of B in this skill is sufficient to lead a nation as its King.

Soul of a Martyr: **EX**

Such was his devotion to God and his cause that it caused him to Fall from Heaven. Ordinarily Angels can only Fall when they succumb to the darkness or betray God but Kokabiel was an exception. Kokabiel's desire to fulfil God's will as humanity's protector has surpassed God's system and he had succeed in forcing himself to fall. This has granted him the Rank of Ex due to the system that governs the world no longer able to accurate assess it.

Soul of a Martyr is the mental protection that negates mental protection that negates mental interference. When it came to fulfilling the will of his God, death held no sway over Kokabiel. Not even the risk of never returning to Heaven after his Fallen could deter him.

* * *

Name: Asia Argento

Class: Bishop

Master: Emiya Shirou

Official Rank: Low-Class Devil

Race: Devil / Human

Strength: E- ~ ?

Endurance: E- ~ ?

Agility: E ~ ?

Mana: D++

Luck: D

Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon: Twilight Healing **A**

Racial skill:

**-Devil skill**:

As a Reincarnated Devil, all basic abilities of a Devil are available to her.

Personal Skills:

Curiously Killed the Asia: **B**

Entrapped by physically walls of the church and the immaterial but no less real chains of her role as a Holy Maiden, Asia was denied the world. Forced to only witness many of its wonders through the window of her room or learn of it from the pages of a book, she has always longed to experience the world outside. Only from afar, always watching never experiencing, that is the only way she was permitted to know of it.

But not anymore, for at long last Asia is unbound and free. And she fully intends to take full advantage of it. She has a full world of wonders to explore and nothing is going to stop her. Not even common sense or survival instinct.

At this Rank, Asia's curiosity would compel to explore anything, try everything and nothing but immediate physical harm would deter her.

Expect to find her exploring every new corner, taste every new food and drink, play around with any unknown electronics, and start conversations with complete strangers. Do not be surprised to find her leaping head first at the chance to experience or explore whatever novel thing that happened to catch her interest.

As Shirou has discovered, leaving Asia unsupervised for long is a bad idea as she will be unable to resist poking her nose into anything she can find no matter how much common sense would tell her not to. Even leaving her at home will not guarantee her safety.

This would often lead her to suffer painful consequences as not everything that she tries will end up as an enjoyable or even benevolent experience. Through all the mishaps her tiny adventures may cause there is one thing that becomes painfully clear to anyone watching her.

Asia is happy, unbelievable so. To her the greatest treasure, her most sought after wish has finally been granted. To be able to explore this wonderful, hideous yet beautiful world fills her with such joy that no matter what happens, even should she die today she would now be able look back at her life and say with a smile: 'That was a life worth living.'

Greed (personal Sin): **C-**

Despite knowing that she can saves thousands of more lives if she had decided to remain at the Church as a Holy Maiden, Asia chose to leave instead in pursuit of her own freedom and happiness.

The largest effect of this Sin is where in the past Asia would put the betterment of other people above her own needs no matter what the cost. That is no longer the case. While she is still more than willing to go out of her way to help others, she is no longer willing to do so if it meant that she would have surrender so much as a drop of her freedom.

Her Greed is her freedom, to choose and explore, and she will never willingly give that up ever again not matter the cost. While she is more than willing to follow Shirou's orders that is only because her trust in him and because she chooses to follow him out of her own free will.

A warning to all that plan to face her greed, that beneath all of her kindness, there lies something unbelievably frightening. The brighter the light the darker that shadow has never been more apt than with Asia.

Healing magic and medical knowledge: **B+**

Despite being the wielder of Twilight Healing, or more precisely because she is the wielder, Asia knows a massive amount of medial knowledge, both of the mundane and magical variety. More than enough for to be qualified as a Doctor despite her age.

Combined with Twilight Healing she is able to heal almost all wounds and illnesses at a remarkable speed. This includes regeneration of organs and limbs, though it would take her a considerably longer time to do so. The only limit to her healing is that she must understand both the injury/illness and what the original healthy state her patient's body is supposed to be.

Her healing capabilities are more effect with someone who she has treated before as familiarity with the patient makes it easier for her to heal them. When Twilight Healing is used on members of either the Peerage she is part of or her own Peerage it becomes far more effective. Partly in due to the similar magic flowing through all of them, and in part due to the familiarity that naturally comes with spending time around them (Asia, despite how she may act at time, is extremely observant of her surroundings).

What makes Asia, along with other wielders of Twilight Healings, unique is their ability to completely bypass any magic resistance when healing. In most cases, a Devil's (or other magical beings) resistance will block out any and all types of magic including healings spells. The stronger the patient's magic the stronger their resistance becomes, making it incredibly difficult for powerful Devils to be healed by conventional means. However with the power of the Twilight Healings Asia does not face this problem making her, and other like her, highly sought after.

Understanding: **A-**

A peculiar gift rarely ever seen only outside the wielders of Twilight Healings, and even them almost never this strongly.

While this can develop in many different forms Asia's is especially good at understanding people. Unlike empathy, which is the understanding of a person emotions, this is akin to understanding a person's very natural. At this rank Asia can get a deep insight to a person by merely interacting or observing them for a few minutes.

The only real limit of this ability is that whatever it is Asia is trying to understand must be possible to be comprehended by a human or a Devil's mind. Things that are either utterly alien in nature or too complex to be comprehended by mortal minds are impossible for her to understand.

However this also mean that Asia has been exposed to the darker side of human nature at a very early age, leading to the loss of the nativity most people her age would have.

Biblical Knowledge: B

Raised in Catholic Orphanage then taken and spent most of her life in the Vatican, Asia had access to a large amount of religious and biblical information. This in combination with her own personal desire to search for God had led her to read and retain a large amount of Biblical Knowledge.

She has attained a Rank B which makes her as knowledge if not more so than the people of the cloth. She is also skilled in theology and any kind of religious debates in general, and unlike many other she is open to unorthodox approach to religion and ideas that are general not accept by the more conservative priests.

**Status effect**:

Mutating Body: N/A

A completely new phenomenon that has never been witness the like of in Reincarnated Devils before, completely unique to Asia. Almost nothing about this effect is known nor understood. What little is known is that Asia's physical body is changing drastically and is already showing signs of affecting her physical capabilities.

Only time will tell what this will lead to and whether the changes are beneficial or harmful.

* * *

Skill ranking for mundane skills:

E: working knowledge – Someone who can use this skill but only at a basic level.

D: intermediate Level – while they are skilled in this field but not good enough to properly teach anyone.

C: Expert – Skilled enough to be a professional or to act as an instructor.

The C Rank is the highest rank an average human can obtain no matter how hard they try. To proceed past this rank one needs either a large amount of natural talent, dedicate their lives to this skill or need assistance of a magical nature to reach B Rank.

B: Mastery – At this rank you are among the best in the world at this skill. Only a handful of people can surpass you.

A: The skill is completely mastered. It is no longer possible to gain any signify better. Among the best if not only among the living but in history.


	12. Chapter 12: Watch Them Grow

_Watch Them Grow_

It was as I was making my way to the kitchen that I was halted in my tracks as a loud thumping noise rang throughout the house. I turned to look over my shoulder at the front door as it shook on its hinges from the force from whoever was enthusiastically knocking on it.

As I continued to look at the vibrating door I seriously contemplated simply ignoring whoever was there. I knew, just knew it was trouble. I could feel it in my bones. The very same instincts that I've honed over the course of living with Serafall and her never ending pranks and peculiar brand of madness were screaming at me not to open the door, to just ignore it and carry on to the kitchen and make myself a nice relaxing breakfast.

It was still early in the morning, barely past seven and only a few hours since the end of the battle with Kokabiel and his Fallen at Kaou Academy. And wasn't that a mess? While the school wasn't too badly damage it had suffered enough that Sona had to shut the Academy down for the day and had already summoned Devil contractors to quickly repair the damage.

Not to mention the hours I and the others had to spend on convincing Serafall and Sirzechs not to come charging into the city while having an army at their backs. Surprisingly it was Sirzechs that was persuaded first, trusting my words that their sisters was safe and helped us convinced Serafall who was far more riled up than I had seen her before. Her face was a mask of rage and fury that could not hide the utter terror that she felt at the realization how close she came to losing me and her sister.

However they did send some Devil to do some damage control on the rest of the citizens of the city. They had a lot of memories to erase if they wanted to keep the presence of the supernatural world contained. Truthfully I doubt they'd completely succeed, too many people had seen the fight even if they had not understood what they were seeing. I had a feeling that rumors of stars falling down from the sky will soon become an urban legend of this city.

I'm convinced that the only reason why the secret of the supernatural world hasn't been fully exposed by now was thanks to Ajuka Beelzebub. In the modern world of cameras and internet there was no way they would have kept the existence of Devils and Angels under wraps and they only barely succeeded in doing so was due to a little invention of his.

I couldn't begin to explain how it worked but from what little I understood he had somehow created a living and sentient computer virus and had it invade the internet. It searches for and destroys any incriminating evidence of the supernatural world it finds there before tracing the source of the data and informing a squad of Devils about the leak. I was sure it was much more complicated than that but that was the gist of what I understood.

The Devils that were sent to wipe memories would also remain to replace the lost guards. It seemed that when then the Fallen army came charging into the city they intended to ignore the small handful of Devils guarding the city that were there, as even with their bolstered numbers they were posed no real threat to them not as outnumbered as they were. Unfortunately that was only so long as they were unprovoked.

The Fallen ran into one of the patrolling teams of Devils from where they decided to enter the city, the Devils numbering only a dozen strong. The squad leader decided to let them pass unobstructed for now before they attempt to contact the Underworld for emergency support.

Unfortunately one of the guards, an eager newly recruited Devil by the name of Leeroy Jenkins, decided to ignore the order and charge the Fallen swarm while screaming out his name like a battle cry of the Gods themselves. Which predictably resulted in the death of most of his squad when the Fallen retaliated with a barrage of spears.

The single guard who had been spared simply survived because the Fallen didn't seem to care whether he and the other Devils guards lived or died. And before he could even do anything the barrier came up and sealed them inside of the city.

The only upside of the entire mess was Asia. I had quickly summoned her when I realized how injured everyone was. And while they weren't back to full strength, with a good night's rest or two they will be. Surprisingly, or maybe not considering it's her, she even patched up the four Fallen who somehow managed to survive, albeit they were badly injured.

They bore her healing them with utter silence as they continued to stare wide-eyed at me before giving her a nod of thanks when they were recovered and took off into the air without another word.

I decided to let them go seeing as I had no reason to stop them. With so many witnesses in both the Devil and Church Factions there was no way I could completely repress the information about my combat skills. And a healthy reputation can be just as useful as a hidden trump card at times.

Another stream of knocking jolted me from my thoughts, and with a heavy sigh I reluctantly approached the door. Might as well get it over with, knowing my luck if I ignore it things will only get worse.

Unlocking the door, I swung it open to find myself looking at…nothing apparently?

"My Lord!" A voice filled with excitement called out and I looked down to find the blue-haired exorcist, Xenovia I believe her name was, kneeling down on one knee while keeping her head respectfully lowered. "My Lord, I have come to serve-"

The rest of her statement was cut off as I slammed door in her face and turned around to head back to my kitchen. I knew I should have gotten some sleep last night, I was beginning to hallucinate.

Unfortunately for my attempt at denial of reality, the enthusiastic banging on the door resumed before I managed to take as much as two steps away. I just palmed my face in both my hands as I tried to stave away the upcoming headache I knew will result from this new mess. It's too damn early in the morning to deal with crap like this.

Spinning in place, knowing that there was no avoiding this, I approached the door with the gait of man walking to his doom and swung it open again to find Xenovia still kneeling on the ground but this time she was looking up at with a single finger held up before her face.

"My lord, it's rude to interrupt people when they're talking. Doubly so when they're trying to swear eternal loyalty and servitude to you." Though the words were reproachful the tone she spoke them with was still filled with respect. "Now as I was saying," she lowered her head again, "I have come to serve you my Lord. Please accept me into your household."

I just started dumbly down at where the exorcist was kneeling with her head down by my feet before I palmed my face again. There was so much crazy in that statement that I was sure it would have had Serafall herself dumbfounded.

"You know what?" I stepped back to one side and wave her in. "Come on in. If I have to deal with all of this crap this early in the morning I wanted to do it after breakfast. Maybe with a full stomach and a large cup of coffee in me the world will start making sense again."

A small sarcastic part of my mind, which sounded oddly like Archer, helpfully pointed out that the world hasn't been making any sense for a long time.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," flipping a pancake into the air as I spoke, "you left the Church because you see no reason to continue serving them with God dead. And now you want to serve me as one of my knights because you think I'm King Arthur?"

"Not think. Know." Her eyes gleamed with such conviction that it would have made even the most self-assured people doubt themselves. Unfortunately for her, she would have made a far more convincing image if her cheeks weren't smeared with maple syrup and if her mouth wasn't filled to the brim with so much pancakes that it caused her cheeks to puff out like chipmunks. As it was the words came out so muffled out that I barely understood her.

At first she refused to eat, saying something about how it wasn't right for a mere servant to dine with her Lord, let alone eat food cooked by his hands. But after much prodding and eventually outright ordering her to, she finally complied.

And now I watched as she sat at my kitchen table devouring a stack of pancakes in a manner that would have made starving wolves proud. Apparently they didn't feed them that well at the Church, or at least their choice of focused on the more nutrition variety rather than taste. Then again it could simply be that my cooking is just that awesome.

I shook my head at the sight before I turn my attention back to the pancakes I was cooking. "And why do you think I'm King Arthur?" I asked.

I could hear her swallow before answering. "Who else but you could possibly wield such a blade as Excalibur?"

"You for one." I pointed out as I flipped the finished pancakes on a plate before I started another batch, splitting my attention between her and my cooking. "Your two friends for another."

"Fakes." She waved away dismissingly. "You yourself called them mere toys and were angered at us for daring to name them Excalibur." She took another bite from here pancake, occasionally muttering 'Holy Mother of Jesus this is good' as she did so, before nodding to herself. "I can now understand your disdain for them my Lord. Such mockeries have no right to be called by the same name as your sword."

I resisted the urge to sigh as I carried on, "And even though I have told you, repeatedly I might add, that I'm _not_ King Arthur you don't believe me."

She finished her current mouthful before speaking. "Your confusion is understandable. After all it has been a millennium and a half since you have been put to rest after being wounded at the battle of Camlann. It is only natural for my Lord to be somewhat confused after having slept for that long."

"Ah, but do not worry my Lord." She continued, misinterpreting the cause for the distress on my face, "I'm certain your memory will return with time. And even if it does not, I shall continue to serve you faithfully." She saluted by banging her fisted over her chest, and if she wasn't holding a fork tipped with a piece of pancake on it at the time she would have looked rather chivalrous.

Going on nothing but pure desperation, even though it was becoming apparently clear that nothing I was going to say would get through to her, I argued, "Then if I was truly the King who pulled the sword from the stone, wouldn't I have Caliburn as well?"

She tilted her head at me, "And don't you?"

"Of course I do." I answered back without thinking, the pride in my swords shining through- the spatula slammed into my face as I attempted to face-palmed, forgetting that I still held it in my hands. You know, this would hurt a whole lot more if I didn't have my Queen's defense.

"My Lord!" Xenovia cheered out at the revelation, her eyes twinkling like stars.

I felt my patience with the entire situation reach its breaking point and I yelled out as my frustration got the better of me, "I came from another world!" before slapping a hand over my mouth, realizing the stupidity of my mistake as soon as I said it.

To my utter bewilderment instead of looking at me as if I was insane or even surprised at all, she simply nodded instead as if she knew all along. "I know my Lord," She confirmed, "you hail from the land of fair Avalon, the domain of the fairies, where you recovered from your wounds."

My mouth hung open like an idiot as I continued to gape at her ability to twist anything I say to fit her world view.

"This would also explain your lack of a past." She carried on speaking, although more to herself than to me. "When you first appeared and the Church learned of your existence, they committed a not inconsiderable amount of resources in an attempt to discover everything about you, but they failed. However if you were in Avalon this entire time it would make sense why no one could discover your past, not when you were in an entirely different world."

It was incredible how close to the truth she could get yet still be oh so very _very _wrong.

"But now," She held a fist in front of her, fork still clasped within it, eyes shining with excitement, "you have returned. Just as the legends said you would, to guide your people in our greatest hour of need."

She was so overcome with excitement that she was practically vibrating in her seat before, no longer able to contain herself, threw her arms up into the air with another exclamation of 'My Lord', before she leapt out of the chair and knelt at the ground.

"Please, grant me the honor of serving under you." She pleaded with her head lowered reverently to the ground.

It was a good thing that she was looking down towards the ground rather than at me or else she would have witness her precious 'Lord' repeatedly bashing his head onto the wall.

"You know what?" I threw my hands up in surrender before turning back to the stove. "Fine, I give up, you win. You can join me."

"Thank you my Lord-"

I cut her off before she could finish, "And stop calling me 'my Lord' all the time."

"Yes, my King!" She immediately complied without actually doing so. Why do I have a feeling that this will be a common occurrence from now on? "I promise you, you'll not regret your decision." Her expression did a one-eighty then as her excited smile disappeared from her face only to be replaced by a troubled expression.

"However my King." Her voice was filled with trepidation as she spoke. "I regret to inform you that I no longer have the Durandal." I turned to look at her at that but she looked away, unwilling to meet my eyes. "I gave it to Griselda to take back to the Church. Chosen wielder or not, they would never let me keep it. Not without a fight, so I thought it best to avoid any trouble by handing it back now rather than waiting for the Church to send someone to forcefully retrieve it." She shrugged, "The Church has always been rather zealous in their insistence on always having all of God's Holy Swords under their control."

"Still," She quickly added, turning her eyes back to me as a small hint of panic entered her voice, "there is no need worry. Even without Durandal, I'll be sure to be of use to you my King. I promise."

"It's fine," I reassured her, "it doesn't matter to me whether you have the sword or not." And it didn't. I could simply project a copy for her whenever I wanted to. Though going by the expression of surprise and relief on her face, she didn't seem to think of it as unimportant as I did.

I didn't understand why she was making such a big deal out of it. It wasn't like she would still be able to wield the sword as a Devil. Other than me, I don't think it was possible for and Devil to wield a Holy weapon. Speaking of which.

"Are you willing to become a Devil?" I asked her with all the gravity the situation deserved, "If your serious about following me, then the only way you can realistically do so I by becoming a Devil. Are you still willing to follow me even if it means giving up your humanity to do so?" Giving her one last time to back out.

She did not hesitate.

"So long as you lead the way," her expression solemn, resolved. "I'd willingly follow you to Hell itself my King."

I looked at her, and I mean really looked, as I wondered where the sudden devotion came from. Then something clicked in my head as the pieces came together and I understood. She had nowhere else to go, did she?

With God gone, the purpose that she dedicated her entire life for was gone as well. It's not that she had no place to go to, I'm sure the Church will have no problem taking her back, it's that she had nothing to live for.

This girl, she was born in the wrong age wasn't she? She was the type who needed a cause to fight for, a just King to serve under. She needed a purpose in her life other than simply living, something to give her life meaning. That is why she dedicated her life to the Church so fiercely, and why she was so ready to dedicate herself to me even though the last master she served betrayed her.

Like the boy who dreamt of becoming a Hero this girl dreamt of becoming a knight.

And who was I to refuse her?

"Very well." I put down my cooking utensils and took the frying pan out of the fire before reaching a hand out into the air. A small magic circle that held the Sitri crest at the heart of its design appeared over my hand before disappearing after depositing a knight chess piece onto my palm.

I walked over to where she was still kneeing before I knelt down myself in front of her and held the chess piece to her chest, over her heart.

"To become my sword is no easy task, yet do you still swear to become it? To take my cause up as your own, to fight my enemies as you would your own? To follow me down the path that I walk, though it is filled with nothing but hardships and the only thing that may awaits us is our deaths, yet will you swear to willingly follow me down that road for no reason than I deem it _Just_?"

The words, while formal, did not truly matter so long as they spoke the truth. The bond cannot be forged properly with lies, deceit will do nothing but make the bond that binds us fragile.

Golden eyes peered back into eyes equally gold as she intoned, "So I do swear, my King."

The world around us erupted under a crimson light as the Knight piece floated out of my grasp and into her chest, which rippled like water as it accepted my piece.

"Then bare my name as your own and become my Knight. And just as my causes became your own, yours shall become mine in turn, your enemies I shall take on as my own. Now come, be reborn into this world as the sword that shall strike down the enemies that dare bar my path! Become the blade that cuts the chains that try to bind me! So that at last we may stand victorious under the blue skies of the coming _Dawn_."

With the final words slipping clear from my mouth the crimson light disappeared as the ceremony was complete.

And like that, in the middle of my kitchen with her face covered in maple syrup and fork in hand, Xenovia became the first Knight of Emiya Shirou. My Knight.

After a moment of silence as we took everything in, I rose to my feet and wiped my knees, "Well, now that done," I looked up towards the ceiling, "it's time to deal with you guys."

They hung like bats off the ceiling of my Kitchen, crouching upside down yet somehow managing to hang off the ceiling with nothing but the flat of their feet making contact with it. It was as if gravity had no effect on them.

Despite their size they still managed to appear inconspicuous, blending into the surrounding of the kitchen like they belonged there. How was that possible I did not know, but they somehow managed to pull it off.

"I swear are you guys like Ninja Fallen or something?" I asked as I stared up at the four of them.

The one who I mentally dubbed the leader of the group, for no other reason than he stood out in front while the other three lined up behind him, stared back at me with startling blue eyes before he slow raise a fist before his masked face, extend the index and middle finger straight out before solemnly intoning with one of the most serious tone of voice I had ever head, "Nin-nin."

The other three Fallen turned to look at one another before shrugging. The looked down at me, and just like the first, they raised they hands before their faces set in a ninja hand seal I had seen once, before they too intoned as one, "Nin-nin."

…Serafall is going to love these guys. I can tell.

I just shook my head at their unexpected antics. Really? Who would have guessed that Ninja Fallen apparently have a sense of humor?

"Ok, seriously." I looked back up at their leader as I spoke. "What are you guys doing here?"

"Orders." The leader answered. "Kokabiel-sama's final commands were should he fall, we are to protect you and thus safeguard humanity's future."

"Even if that means becoming Devils yourselves?" Even with their stealth abilities, there is no way they can follow me down to the Underworld and remain undiscovered. Not for long anyway.

A shrug was my response. "We already fell from Heaven to complete our duty. What is descending to Hell compared to that? At least it will be warm down there."

I stared up to them, and was stared back in turn by four pairs of eyes ranging from sky blue to forest green. Not one of them looked away or even reluctant.

What is with these Fallen Angels and why did they all have to be so damn likable?

"Very well," I sighed out and scratched the back of my head, "if you're so determined I won't try to dissuade you." I'm probably the worst person to try to talk people out of following suicidal ideals after all.

"Well, now _that's_ done. It's time to deal with you." I turned to look at the final occupant on the ceiling. "Gasper, what are you doing?"

There hanging upside down from the ceiling next to the Fallen, like the bat that he was still dressed up as, was Gasper.

"Hanging out." And I swear he was being utterly serious as he said that. I decided not to comment on it as there was something far more unsettling I had to deal with.

I pointed up to him and asked, "And what are you wearing?"

"A Bat-Girl costume." He answered as used a hand to hold down his short skirt and by doing so prevented the rest of us from being traumatized for life by flashing us.

"Why?" Somehow knowing I wasn't going to be satisfied with his answer.

"It's cute." He chirped, sounding oddly happy for some reason.

At that moment I seriously considered praying to God for help for the first time in my life, but then I realized that God was dead and I was on my own. Deciding to take the tried and true method of ignoring everything I turned back to the stove and began cooking a large enough breakfast to feed the lot of us.

And that was how I used up all my pawn pieces and found myself with four new Pawns in addition to a Knight in my Peerage.

* * *

Pulling open the window of the second floor hallway, I carefully stepped out onto the ledge before reaching out and griping the edge of the rooftop. Taking a moment to insure I had a secure hold, I hoisted my up and over onto the roof. Making sure I made plenty of noise as I did so, so that she may hear me coming.

Treading lightly, I climbed up to the peak of the roof, watching were I set my foot down so I did not damage the any of the tiles.

Once I reached the ridge, I took a moment to make sure my footing was secure as I wouldn't want lose my balance and fall tumbling down no matter how unlikely that was to harm me, before I turned to around to face her.

She was squatting down at the end of the ridge, resting her arms on her knees as she stared out at the sunrise. She didn't bother to turn to face me, so all I could see was her back as she stared out onto the horizon.

I waited, there was no need of me to say anything, and sometimes just being there is enough. I had been hoping she'd come, waiting for it actually. That's how I was able to sense her the moment she arrived. How she simply waited here, as if she knew I would be coming after her. She was right, I was willing to go much farther than this if it meant helping her.

It was not for Kokabiel's sake alone that I revealed Excalibur. There was one other person I needed to save that day.

The wind pulled on my hair as I watched over her. She was dressed in that same school uniform that she wore for the fight, though undamaged somehow. Her white hair drifted behind her on the steady breeze.

"Once there were two sisters." She began, speaking in her usual monotone voice, her eyes never leaving the sun. "They were as different as can be. One as black as the night, the other as white as snow. Yet despite their differences they loved each other, more than anything else in the world.

"Though they were poor, they were happy. In this world full of treasures, the only treasure either of them ever wanted was each other. And that was how they always wanted it to be. Even if they had no gold, even if there was never enough food, so long as the two had each other they were happy.

"That is why they promised to never leave one another, that no matter what life threw at them, they would always be together.

"But one day things began to change. The big sister found a job. Now the two sisters finally had a house to live in. They no longer had to steal or beg for food, they could buy their own. They had more food, better clothing and a nice warm place to sleep.

"But they were not necessarily happier.

"The big sister had to spend a lot of time working, and had less time to spend with the younger one. And whenever she returned from work, she was always very tired and couldn't play with the little sister as much as the younger one wanted to.

"But still, even though she was busier now, they were still happy. For at least they always had each other.

"Until they did not.

"One day the younger sister woke to find her elder gone. She kept asking everyone 'where was she, where was she', but no one answered her. Even after she was taken away, imprisoned all she could ask 'where are you? Where did you go?', and still no one answered her.

"But as time passed, the amount of times she would ask would drop, until one day she stopped asking all together. By then they didn't need to answer her. She had begun to realize the truth.

"That her beloved sister had abandoned her.

"'Why', that's what she kept asking herself during those hellish days. 'Why?' Did she get tired of looking after her? Did she get sick of working so hard for the two of them when she didn't have to? Did she…did she no longer love her? But in the end it did not matter why, for she understood…

"That for all their promises, for all the times they've been there for each other, the older sister left her younger one without so much as a goodbye.

"And now for the first time since the day she was born, the little sister was alone in the world-"

Her voice hitched towards the end, breaking, leaving her unable to finish speaking.

Silence returned again, this time broken up occasional sniffling. I didn't say anything, didn't ask if she was alright when she so clearly wasn't. I just stood there, simply waited there for her. That was all I could do.

When she began to speaking her voice was no longer the emotionless monotone that she usually spoke in. It was faint, but for the first time I could hear true emotion held in it.

"For a…for a very long time I thought my sister had stopped loving me." She turned her eyes up to the sky, "But there is no way that can be true, can it? After all," she raised a hand up to the sky, fingers stretch out as if could touch it. "Look. The sun, it's still there isn't it? It hasn't burn out. And the stars still shine at night, they haven't gone away. Then …

"There is no way that can be true,

"For as long as they burn she will always love me. Until the day they extinguish she will continue to do so and forever after, outlasting the sun and stars themselves."

From beneath her skirt a long white tail appeared, along with a matching pair of white colored cat ears on her head. When she turned around, the face I saw was filled with neither courage nor determination. It was broken hearted thing, filled with soul-searing pain and sadness. Yet still,

Still,

She carried on.

Despite her fears, in spite of her pain, she called out her name loud and clear.

If that was not courage, I did not know what is.

"My name is Shirone." Her eyes shone with unshed tears and her bangs continued to drift in the air in front of her, pulled by the wind. "It means 'white sound' and it… and it was the first gift my sister had ever given me. The first gift anyone had ever given me."

And despite how sad she looked I could not help but feel a glimmer of joy. At long last, her walls were beginning to tumble down and finally she has stopped hiding. She was allowing herself to feel again.

"I am Shirone, the little sister of the black cat Kuroka. And…and…"One of her ears was weakly raised while the other laid half way down to her head as she spoke, but now they both fell flat against her head as she continued, ".…and I miss her. So so very much. Despite everything she's done she's still my sister and I love her so. With every beat of my heart."

Tears fell freely down form her eyes now, not even trying to hold them back any longer. She looked back at the horizon again, and for a while no one said anything the silence only broken by the sound of the wind, until she decided to speak up again.

"Neh- Shirou. The sun and the stars, they're still shining. They haven't extinguished yet, have they?" She asked, so quietly that I could barely hear her. "So that means that she still loves me…right?"

I turned to look towards the horizon. "Yeah," I nodded, "they're still shining."

"…that's good."

_And so the hurt, lonely kitten finally gathers up its courage and leaves its box to face the world._

* * *

_Sometimes, there are no villains to fight. _

_No monsters to kill._

_Sometimes the thing that's hurting you comes from inside of you._

_Sometime the monster only lives in you._

It shone in the darkness, as if it were a splinter of light.

Steel-greys eyes examined the blade carefully. He held it high before him, slowly spinning it left then right in his left hand, as his eyes trailed over inch of the sword. Looking for flaws or imperfection that simply wasn't there.

"A sword of light." No one was there in the woods with him but if there were, they would have heard the shocked disbelief that filled it.

From his soul which could only forge tainted swords, where he was sure that nothing else could be born, for the first time it forged a sword crafted from the purest of lights. Untainted, unspoiled, it was sword as clean as rays of a morning sun.

"It was that simple." He lowered the sword while he stared blankly at the trees ahead, lost in his own thoughts. "It was always there, this power was always there." He looked down at his empty right hand. "I always could have done this."

He continued to stare down at his empty hand for a time, before he raised his head and clenched his hand into a fist. He held the sword up before him, and after taking a moment to examine the blade one final time, he flipped it before thrusting the sword down, deep into the ground before him.

Releasing the hilt, he took a step back and examined his work. The sword was planted tip first, like a grave stone protruding from the earth, shining so brightly it was if it stood beneath the light of the sun rather than in a dark clearing within the Kuoh Academy's woods.

Crossing his legs he dropped to the ground and sat before the sword. He stared at it, not moving, not sure what to do before he ran a hand through his hair and looked away. After a moment he let lose a sigh and turned back to face the sword.

"Well guys, I've decided." He spoke to the sword as if it were a living thing. "I'm…I'm going to try living for once. I'm not quite sure how to go about it but…but…I'm willing to give it a shot." He took a deep breath and shut his eyes before carrying on. "I'll probably…no, I'll definitely not be very good at it and I'm sure I'll make an utter mess of it." His eyes drifted open and gave himself a determined nod. "But I'm going try."

He raised himself to his feet and dusted his pants before turning around and walking away, towards the exit of the clearing. Just as he was about to set foot outside of the clearing's boundary and onto the road that will lead him out of the woods, he hesitated.

Pausing, he turned his head and looked back at the sword that still shone in the dark. The only light in a place filled with shadows.

"Goodbye."

Then he strode out and this time, he didn't look back.

* * *

_These Children are so very remarkable._

_Watch them as they trip and fall,_

_Only to get back up and learn._

_And if you look away from them for but a moment,_

_They'd be grown before you know it._

The King piece was balanced precarious on its edge, only prevented from tipping over completely by the finger that held it in place.

After a moment of contemplation, the chess piece was set back down to its proper place. But a moment later it was pulled back onto its edge. On and on this went, the king piece set down only to be tilted back again, balanced on its edge.

Tsubaki paused in the middle of her work to observe her King's unusual behavior as she stood over the chess set and played with the King piece. There was no else but her in the Council room to witness the scene but her. The others have been sent home to rest and recover from their ordeal. Only Sona and her had been uninjured enough to work today.

"Kaichou?" she cautiously ask, slowly approaching her King. "Are you alright?"

Sona ignore her, focusing on the King piece that she kept tilting and setting down. Tsubaki was about to asked her again but she was interrupted.

"Tsubaki." Sona called out to her as she finally set the piece flat on the board and let it go, though her eyes never looked away from it even as she spoke. "Put the chess set away."

"Pardon?"

"Just pack it up and store it away someplace. I'm not going to need it anymore." She leaned over the board and brought her hand next to the King piece, her index finger held back by her thump.

"Sometimes when we grow up we need to put away our old toys. We need to let go of them and move on if we wish to continue growing." She then flicked the tip of the King, knocking it down on its side. "And I refuse to stop growing."

She rose up to her full height before turning to face her Queen. She pushed her frames up her nose before he spoke, "Put it away Tsubaki. I'm not going to restrict myself any longer." She turned and walked away, intend on finishing the rest of her work. "It seems like I've out grown this game."

_So be sure to keep both eyes on them…_

…_and watch them grow._

* * *

At first it was little things…

So small that he barely noticed them, thought nothing of them.

…didn't realize she was dying.

Then one by one, things kept failing.

She would drop things, trip more often and sometimes run into doors.

Then one day her legs simply refused to work.

And through it all she would smile. Cheer him own as if he was the one dying and not her.

A pale and thin hand rose up to cup his check, feebly wiping away the tears that fell down them with her thump.

"Hey, Oni-chan, don't cry…there's no need to cry….because….because it was fun….So much fun."

She was laid over his lap while he had his arms wrapped firmly around her, refusing to let go as they were seated in the magic circle her mother crafted so long ago. It was the only thing that could lessen her pain.

In the darkness of the shed the smile she sent up to his tear stricken face was dazzling, even as it she looked up at him with unseeing eyes.

"I love you…thank you… and…bye-bye." Then she was gone, her hand falling to the ground.

The boy yelled out, begging the girl in his arms to wake up, pleading with her not to die. But it was too late, the girl was gone. He could feel the beat of her heart stopping beneath his hands.

But despite knowing that she was gone, that there existed no hope, no magic that could bring her back, he refused to let her go.

Even as the warmth continued to drain her once living body, replaced with the coldness unique to the dead alone, his grip on her never less lessened. He prayed, he begged, he pleaded but no miracle ensued. The girl in his arms did not wake up.

It was then, as he looked around for something, anything that could save her that he caught sight of the circle beneath them. And a flame of desperate hope began to burn once again in his heart.

Once, in another place and time, a dying boy was saved here. Though he had no hope, no chance of survivable, not with the inhuman warrior behind him, he was still saved by a Knight unlike any other.

It was here that miracle a was born.

It was here that miracle of their meeting happened.

And it will be here that another miracle will occur.

Staring down at the circle, he offered it everything he had. His body, his life, anything and everything he owned, he was willing to pay it, just to bring someone that could save her.

Nothing happened.

No matter how much he yelled or what he offered the magic remained stubbornly silent. An hour had passed as he continued to try and still the circled remind dull, lifeless as the girl in his arms and all the while her body continued to grow colder until she felt like ice to his touch.

And still he refused to let go.

He continued to scream out until his voice broke form all his yelling and then he continued to whisper instead, in near silent pleading.

It was during the end to one of his beseeching episodes that an idea came to him. One born from desperation rather than any form of reason or logic.

In this world, all Magecraft will suffer from interference. The rules that govern the universe will make it so, because of it many spell that may have been possible become impossible.

So to escape that interference, all he needed was to enter a different world.

_**I AM THE BONE OF MY SWORD**_

The shed around him disappeared. Replaced with a world of endless swords and steel. A world were the Dawn will never come nor the sun ever set. A world trapped in perpetual twilight.

He tightened his arms around the girl, as both of them remained in the boundary of the magic circle that he brought along with them to the heart of his soul.

He gathered his breath for one last attempt, one last desperate gamble before he exhausts himself. His final chance.

He raised his face to the sky and yelled out with a voice hoarse from screaming.

"I don't care whose listening, whether you're a God, Angel or even the Devil himself. For her sake, you can have it all, everything I have I offer you. Any price, any debt I'll gladly pay it. To save her, I'll do anything, give you anything. So please someone. Anyone. Save her. I don't care whether if you take my body, my life or even-" He took one final deep breath and with all the power he had in him, he yelled out.

_My soul!_

_Just please, please save my sister!_

Beneath them, the circle flicked. Too quick and feeble for even him to sense, but it was there. The azure light it burned with was a meagre thing, too dim and gone too fast for him to notice. Fading away not even a heartbeat later.

But it was enough.

More than enough.

For a miracle had happened.

It was someplace far away, literally worlds apart. And yet somehow, someone heard his prayer.

She twitched, freezing in mid-step before turning around and looking over shoulder. Raven hair framed violet eyes that looked up into the distance sky, looking for something that's not there.

"Is someone calling me?"

_And that was how a Demon Lord, and her Hero, met._

* * *

_**End of Arc 1: Why Angels Fall**_

_*****_**Story Stop***

_**(Or as I know how everybody is going to refer to it, the Kokabiel Arc)**_

**Author's Notes:**

Now, before we do anything else I want to ask you all to turn and look towards the distance horizon. Do you see that tiny dot there? Can you tell what it is? Is it a bird? No. Is it a plane? No. Is it a…Magic Girl? Yes! Yes, it is a Magic Girl. Ladies and Gentlemen Serafall is finally coming in the very next chapter. And who is that white haired and sometimes bloodthirsty Loli with her? Yes, it's Ilya! They are both coming in the next chapter.

Alright now that out of the way allow me to say, Holy crap, we've reached the end of the first arc! And in less than two months too. I must admit when I first wrote this story I was afraid that no one would be interested in reading it and it will die after the first three chapters or so, but at the time I'm writing this its been 8 weeks, 150,000 words, 1000+ fav/follow/reviews later and still going so strong. I even have a good chunk of the next arc planned out and several ideas for the arcs after it.

Now since this is the end of an Arc I believe I need to take some time to thank a few people. 'Bigreader in The Omniverse' for helping me fix up my work and get it out all in time, Artful Lounger for providing me with far more DxD information than the wiki ever did, and captor2000 along with all the others who took the time to provide with some constructive reviews. I don't know how it is with other authors but I read every single review I receive, twice (ok, three times but that's only because I love reading them). They really help give me the confidence I need to keep writing so thank you all so much.

Now onto the chapter itself. Originally I wanted this and the last chapter to be paired up but I decided to separate them to let the last chapter sink in. A death of a character like Kokabiel needed to be honored. And I was afraid people will be too mentally worked up to appreciate anything else I had to add.

And yes, there will be major consequences for Shirou's fight. But it won't appear right away. The information needs time to spread, for the people who hear about it to confirm its authenticity and decide how to act on it, but when it does there will be massive consequences down the line.

I remember reading a review that asked if I had a central message in my story. While I'm not sure if I ever will, what I hope to convey in this chapter was _growth_.

Something that I always disliked about canon, and in fact many anime in general, is that get over your past you must a) punch the Villain who hurt you in the face or B) find out that what you know about your terrible past was a lie and learn the truth. All of the solutions are external.

But life doesn't work like that. You don't always have a convenient enemy to hate, to blame for your problems. Sometimes you have to face your past, not because it comes back to haunt you but because you have to. To grow, to heal, that is something all of us have to go through.

Kiba no longer had anyone to blame. The ones who killed his friends in the holy sword project were all punished and executed. Justice was served, but he could not heal. And there was no left to blame. No one but the Excaliburs. Unthinking and unfeeling pieces of metal who in truth could not be held responsible because they were merely tool. Here Kiba didn't get to break a single Excalibur, he didn't get fight Freed or Valper. He was simply confronted with a single fact. His friends didn't save because they wanted revenge, it was because they want him to live. It was his choice on what to with this knowledge.

Koneko this time didn't have Kuroka conveniently taking a blow for her or finding out she committed the crimes she did to save her. She just acknowledged that even though her sister had did bad things, she still loved her. Sometimes the people we love do bad things, commit crimes or hurt us. It us up to us to decide if we can forgive. And remember Koneko was very young when all this happened so she probably didn't understand what was happening at the time and it had to have been explained to her when she was older. And odds are that person wasn't painting Kuroka in a positive light.

Sona, well I think with her it was pretty much self-explanatory. People are always afraid to leave their comfort zones because it is difficulty and we risk making a fool of ourselves. But only by doing what is difficult, by doing something difficult can we continue to learn and grow.

Now I'm sure most of you noticed but for those of you who didn't I will post the stats of any ongoing chapters in my profile page. Including release date if I'm close to completion. So if you want to know when the next update is coming look there.

I've decided to put up a character poll, so be sure to vote. But it won't be a popularity poll, but one to see if liked how the character was developed (that means even if you didn't like the character, but you like how they were fleshed out vote for them).

I think I covered everything. Now I'm going to take the rest of the week off to enjoy the final stretch of my vacation without dragging my laptop around. If anyone have any questions though, please don't hesitate to PM me or add them to your review and I'll get back to you. Now I'm crossing my fingers and hopping I'd get a Tv tropes page at last.

Thanks for reading and I hope you liked this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13: This is Serafall - Part 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fate/Stay Night or High school DxD, just the original concepts and plot in this story. This Crossover is a complete AU**

***Story Start***

* * *

This is Serafall (Part 1)

"For the last time Asia," I pinched the bridge of my nose as I spoke, feeling the arrival of the now familiar headache, "the answer is no. You can't take it home with us, now put it back wherever you found it."

"But Shirou!" She pleaded, "I can't send her back. Can't you see how scared and lonely she is?"

I turned to look at the reptile in question, "No." I replied as eyes that shone with more malevolence and hatred than anything I had seen before gazed unblinkingly back into mine. "I can't."

"Oh come on, Shirou. She was trying to follow me home." She tightens her grip on the monstrosity, wrapping her arms around its neck and rubbed her cheek against its own. "The poor little thing has been in the forest all alone for so long, I can't send her back there. I just can't. What if she gets hurt? Didn't you hear what Zatouji said? That forest is not safe, what if she runs into something dangerous?"

"Asia," I pointed at that monstrosity that she's holding, "that is the danger."

The light of the moon reflected off its scales, causing it to gleam like emeralds in the darkness of the clearing. It towered over the trees of the ancient forest, its head easily clearing the even the highest among them as it stared down at me with cruel yellow eyes that held a cunning and predatory intelligence in them. All nine pairs of them.

For all its size it moved in complete silence, slithering along the ground with all the noise of a whisper. Vile green venom dripped from its razor sharp fangs, longer than I am tall, falling to the ground where it splashed upon the earth before it sizzled and hissed as it dissolved through the grass and ate into the very dirt.

As I looked up at Asia, from where she sat upon one of the nine heads of the Hydra while wrapping her arms around the neck of another, I could not help but wonder if the equivalent of this world's Alaya hated me. If it was responsible for all the crap I kept going through then it must utterly loath me. Then again I had no one else to blame but myself, I should have realized something like this would happen when things started to go so well.

After the Fallen attack, or as Kokabiel's Fall as it was sometimes being called among other things, Sona and Gremory had begun to double up on their training. They've been pushing themselves rather harshly actually. Not that I could blame them. After what they've been through their reaction is completely understandable, so I decided to sit back and watch how things will work out for the time being but I may have to step in soon if they go too far.

Consequently, the two Heirs no longer seemed to have any free time to do anything else other than train, unwilling to spare anytime for anything else. I've actually been called in to help fulfill some of their contracts because they didn't want to stop training.

That is the reason we were even here. Neither of the two wanted to waste time searching for familiars despite booking an appointment with a Familiar Master months ago, not when only a single member of either of their Peerage lacked a familiar, prioritizing their training over everything else.

So instead of letting their appointment go to waste, something that even High-Class Devils would have to book months in advance for, they offered it to me and I accepted. It seemed like such a good idea at the time too, seeing as I was lacking a familiar myself.

That was the reason why Asia, Xenovia and myself ended up in the middle of a forest with a Familiar Master named Zatouji looking for beasts to contract with. Ramiel, the leader of my little group of Fallen-Ninjas, and the rest of his group didn't need to tag along as they had already found familiars of their own.

And that was how what had started off as a beautiful day ended up with me standing face to face with an abomination. It was death, devastation given form. With venom so deadly that even the strongest of Devils feared it, combined with a body that is said to be immortal, it was a true nightmare come to life.

A species that has killed its own master more time than any other creature, the nine-headed Hydra was one of the handful of beasts to fall into the category of Evil Familiars in Underworld.

It was also giving me a large puppy eyed stare as Asia continued to plead with me to let her keep it. Or at it least it tried to. Somehow a pair of yellow slitted eyes in a serpent's face staring wide-eyed at me doesn't exactly give me the same warm and fuzzy feeling that it would coming from a puppy.

Well, one of its heads was giving me the puppy eyed look. The other six were glaring down at me imperiously as if daring me to deny Asia's wish. The eighth had its eyes closed while it hissed in contentment as Asia scratched the scales above its right eye, and the last head was chasing a terrified Zatouji in some kind of sadist game as the poor Familiar Master ran in circles around me, yelling in terror all the while.

How did getting something as simple as getting familiars for both my Peerage and myself go so wrong so fast? Releasing my nose I raised a hand and pointed at the monstrosity she was holding onto. "Now go put it back where you found it."

"But Shirou, I already named her!" She called down to me from her perch, still refusing to let go of the serpent. "I can't let Miss Peanut Wigglebutt go back now."

"For the last time Asia, I said no- _Wait! What!?_" I mentally backtracked as my mind caught up to what I heard. "Asia," I spoke the words slowly, making sure that there is no way she could misunderstand, "did you name the nine-headed monstrosity, a beast so frightening that it's mere sight can make entire armies turn around and run in fear, _Miss Peanut Wigglebutt?_"

"Yes." She confirmed as she continue to scratch its scales, "Doesn't it suit her?"

I felt my jaw unhinged as I gaped up at her while my mind conjured mental images of the consequences of such a name. Of how grown men will fear the name peanut and will whisper it only in dark corners in the dead of night, never too loud for fear of summoning it. Of how soldiers would yell 'Run its Peanut Wigglebutt' causing entire armies to turn and flee.

What can possibly be more embarrassing than reporting to your superior officer that you ran away from an enemy named Miss Peanut Wigglebutt? To be killed by one, my mind supplied the answer along with a mental image of a gravestone with the epitaph 'Here lies Damion. Soldier, Warrior and Hero of unmatched courage and prowess. Struck down before his time by the wicked Wigglebutt.'

No. Just no. There is no way I could allow her to name it that. The consequences was too dire. I had put a stop to this evil before it was too late. I looked up at Asia and locked eyes with her to convey the seriousness of the situation, and once I was sure she understood the significance about what I was about to say, I opened my mouth to deny her.

"Yes." The word came out of my lips without me willing it to. I tried to resist, I honestly tried but it was no use. It was as if Serafall reached across from the very planes of existence itself and possessed me, forcing my mouth to spill out the words and my head to nod in agreement, "Yes Miss Peanut Wigglebutt is a wonderful name and it suits her perfectly."

"It's settled then." Asia beamed at me before turning to look directly into the eye of the monstrosity, "From now on your name will be Miss Peanut Wigglebutt."

And thus a great evil was committed this day.

I took a moment to send a prayer for the countless of broken pride that name will no doubt cause.

"Asia," and even to my ears my voice sounded resigned. I already knew that anything I said will end in vain and that Asia, as usual, will inevitably get what she wants, but damn it it I had to at least try. "Why can't you get a more reasonable familiar like Xenovia?"

I pointed to the other side of the clearing where Xenovia was patting the neck of her Pegasus.

"Come, oh most worthy steed." She declared as she sat up from her spot on the back of the Pegasus. Its white coat shimmered like silver and its blue mane was the exact same shade as her hair. "From this day forth we shall ride into battle together and our enemies shall learn fear." She drew her sword and pointed it straight ahead. "Now charge! High-ho Silver away!"

Then in a blur of movement she was gone, soaring up to the skies in a streak of blue and white.

"On second thought." I turned back to Asia, fighting the urge to slump in defeat as I did so. "Fine you can keep the monstrosity, but-"

"Thank you Shirou!" She interrupted me.

"But," I repeated, "Only if you burn that shirt."

"Deal!" She readily agreed.

Well, at least that take cares of one of my problems. For on her white shirt was the caption '_People Die When They Are Killed – Emiya Shirou_'.

Once! I swear I said it once, and no one ever let me forget it. This is why I know I suck at giving speeches. I gave a bad one once and it still haunts me even in an entirely different dimension.

At the moment I wanted to do nothing more but go home and sleep. Unfortunately I still had to find a familiar of my own before we could leave.

"No! Bad Miss Peanut Wigglebutt." I looked up to find Asia scolding one of the Hydra's heads. It was trying to look inconspicuous but was failing badly, what with the man-sized bulge in its throat and the muffled screams that could still be heard. "Devils are not food! Now spit poor old Zatouji out right this instant."

You know what? Forget the damn familiar, let's go home before something else happens.

* * *

I pivoted in place, pulling my left side back, barely preventing the sword from skewering me as it thrust through the space my shoulder had just occupied, missing it by mere inches. Using the momentum of my pivot, I thrust the sword in my right hand forward, aiming for my opponent's shoulder in turn.

Like me, he twisted away from the blow, pulling his shoulder back as the momentum of his strike continued to drag him forward. For a moment, just as he was about to pass me by, we ended up mirroring each other. Both of our swords were thrust forward in our right hands while our left sides were pulled back to avoid the other's blow.

Even the swords in our hands were the same, mirror images of the other. A matching pair of steel grey long-swords. Straight, simple and functional, free from any extravagant and unnecessary ornaments. They were perfect copies of each other, down to the smallest detail. I made sure of it. The only things that truly differentiated us from the other was his blond hair compared to my red, and the irritated frown on his face opposed to the amused smirk on mine.

He stomps his foot into the ground, stopping his forward momentum before we got out of each other's range, and redirecting the energy into his left arm, swinging the blade that suddenly appeared in what was his once empty hand at me. It was a complete reversal of his last sword. Where the first was basic and practical in design, this one was ornamental to an extreme.

The sapphires that studded along the flat of the blade were arranged in eye-pleasing swirling patterns, glimmering in the light of the morning dawn. Its hilt was gold plated and where there should have been a pommel was an egg-sized sapphire instead.

He swung it down on me from overhead, as if trying to cleave me in two, putting all of his weight behind the blow. It didn't take him long to learn that holding back in our spars was a bad idea. It did nothing but make him lose that much faster and after I simply overpowered his strikes with my own a couple of dozen times the first few days we practiced, he stopped doing so entirely.

Still, even after he pushed every ounce of strength he had into that strike it never reached me. Didn't even come close. As before it covered half the distance between us a sword, one so similar to his, intercepted it just as it came down.

It took me less than a fraction of a second to analyze the sword and read its history before recreating a perfect replica of it for myself. The moment it fell into my hand I brought the sword down overhead at him, with exactly the same strike and trajectory he was using against me.

The air echoed with the ringing of steel as both swords rebounded off the other, sending a fireworks of sparks into the air, filling the space between us with flickering lights.

The power of the blow sent him stumbling back a step before he regained his balance. Then instead of bringing the sword back down again for another strike, Kiba released his sword, both of them. They quickly disappeared as they left his hands, fading into motes of lights before another pair of swords appeared in his grip to take their place.

While it took him a while, he had finally begun to realize that I could copy his skills with the sword after several hours of sparring together. It took him even longer to discover that I was able to mimic his skill much easier when he kept using the same swords or styles he tended to favor. Since then he's tried to confuse me by switching swords as often and quickly as he could. Sometimes never using the same sword for more than a single strike before switching to a new weapon.

Like he was doing right now.

The air between us continued to be filled with multicolored specks of lights as our swords streaked towards each other, birthing sparks whenever they clashed. Swords made from nothing but living shadow and darkness, blades with crimson flames licking up and down their edge, claymores then daggers, elegant rapiers were followed by serrated blades. Time after time our swords would meet and clash only to be repelled then replaced by another in the next strike, never using the same sword as one used before.

Yet each time he switched swords, I would do so too, matching whatever blade he conjured with one that mirrored his. Dagger with dagger, long sword with long sword, and I would always strike with the same amount of skill and force he would wield his sword with, as if I was some kind of doppelganger.

His idea of a switching swords was a good one in theory but a bad one in practice. He knew it wasn't enough so to overwhelm me, not by a long shot, so he would experiment with his attacks. Strike from left when he would often favor the right during practice, thrust instead of cleaving, go low when he should have went high, always trying something new or different than his usual method of attack.

Unfortunately that wasn't enough. On the rare occasions that he successfully catches me off guard, it's usually when he does something unusual or with a move he has never practiced before. Unsurprisingly this causes his skill and speed to drop significantly, his usual elegance with the blade nowhere to be seen, allowing me to counter him easily even through my surprise.

Still, this was good practice for him. It forced him to try experiment and try to think of knew attack style outside of his usual patterns. In the long run it will only help him developed as a fighter. From what I had observed, Kiba's strength lies in his speed and his versatility granted to him by his swords.

The problem was that Kiba failed to capitalizes on his strengths. Sure, he has no problem using his speed but it was how he used his swords that was the issue. He relies too much on the multitude and flexibility of his swords' abilities while he himself remains rigid.

Kiba clearly favors the European long sword, it was the kind of sword his fighting style was meant to wield. That was the reason why almost all the swords he produced with his Sacred Gear were long swords. But that was just a waste of his Sacred Gears power. Sword Birth can produce almost every kind of sword there is but Kiba limits himself to one.

It was an understandable problem. Learning different sword styles is a difficult and time-consuming process that would take years even for talented swordsmen to accomplish. I was only able to overcome the problem thanks to my ability to use the skills of my swords' previous owners. That was however not a good enough excuse for him not to learn other styles.

That was what I was trying to do. By making him realize that his current way of fighting didn't work against me, I was forcing him to try something new. To adapt and experiment with his Sacred Gear until he found something that worked.

"Damn…jocks." A tired voice wheezed out, dragging me out of my thoughts just as I deflected another blow. I shifted my attention away from the little game I was playing with Kiba and looked to my right, where on the other side of the clearing we were training in, stood an utter exhausted looking Sona

Well, calling what she was doing standing would have been rather a stretch, considering that she was bent over double and just barely staying on her own two feet. I was sure the only reason why she wasn't sprawled out face first on the ground was due to the staff that she was desperately clinging onto.

And even with the staff that she was using to prop herself up she was barely able to remain standing. Her legs kept wobbling in place beneath her and threatened to give out at any second.

She was glaring up at us over the rim of her glasses, her face drenched with so much sweat that drops of it continued to drip down her face and off the tip of her nose. Her sweat soaked hair was plastered onto her face and her breath came out in short wheezing pants. Even the School's sport uniform that she had on was completely soaked through with her sweat.

Yet despite her obvious exhaustion, she didn't lose a hint of her usual ferocity as she attempted to force us into submission with the power of her glare alone. Or tried to anyway. Sona was hardly the most intimating person to me even during the best of times. Now, what with the way her drenched hair was plastered onto her face, she looked as ferocious as an angry kitten that was just taken out of its bath. Her glaring just made her look even more adorable.

"How…"She panted out between breaths, "…is this…supposed to be…fun? Bloody… Jocks… how are you… possibly…enjoying this?"

I was prevented from answering her question when a sword came slashing down at my head, forcing me to lean backwards to avoid the blow. Kiba, not letting his failed attack slow him down in the slightest, spun around and brought his sword back for another strike.

I felt a stirring of satisfaction as I watched his unrelenting attack. It was a far cry from how he acted when we started. Back then he was both chivalrous and honourable, stopping his attacks and waiting for me to face him again instead of continuing whenever my attention was drawn away by the others training with us.

The first time he did it I made sure praised him for behaving in a matter truly befitting a knight. Then when he let his guard down as he was about to thank me for the compliment I slammed the flat of my sword into the side of his skull when he wasn't ready. I made sure to hit him hard enough for him to really feel it too.

I ended up over doing it a bit and my strike wound up giving him a concussion. Asia had to be called in to help fix him up and get him back on his feet again. She also had to come in the second and third this time happened as well. It was only after the third time did it began to dawn on him I was being sarcastic with my complements, and after that he finally learnt to not stop attacking whenever I looked away.

Now don't get me wrong, chivalry and honour are both wonderful things. It's one of the reason why I fell for Saber after all. I just don't believe they should belong on the battlefield. They tend to get you killed more often than not.

And I sure as hell wasn't about to allow anyone I teach die in such a stupid way. Only the strong can afford to show chivalrous in battle. I'm convinced that the only reason why Saber survived for so long acting the way she did was because disadvantaged or not she had more than enough power to overwhelm anyone that challenged her.

I could hear Kiba actually growl in frustration when I didn't even bother looking away from Sona as I continued to dodge and deflect his attacks. He almost snarled as he redoubled his attacked, reinforcing a rather startling truth that I had ended up discovering during my time sparring with him. Kiba, it turns out, had one hell of a temper. Who would have figured that someone as polite as him had Wrath as a personal sin?

"I have no idea what you're talking about Kaichou." He gritted out through clenched teeth as he continued to press his attack, which only seemed to fuel his frustration when he failed to make any real progress. "The only ones that are having fun here are these two."

"_Nya-ha-ha_, Kiba-chi~." A voice cheered from above me. "It's not our fault you're not having fun. You'd be enjoying yourself too if you could just fight worth a damn. _Nya-ha."_

Then again, the source of his temper may not have anything to with his Sin, what with the heckler he seemed to have gained.

Kiba paused in his attacks to look up at my little passenger. "As if you can do any better." He pointed his sword up at her, "How am I supposed to take this fight seriously when you're riding on his shoulders Koneko?"

"Kiba-chi~," She drawled out her new pet name for him as she propped an elbow on my head, "it's called a handicap."

I felt Shirone pet me a couple times before she started ruffling my hair. "If you can't beat my little servant here with me in his way, then you'll just end up getting your pretty little ass kicked even worse without me, _nya-ha-ha~._"

Ok, now that that was a little harsh. That it was also true was completely irrelevant. I lowered my sword and looked up above me with a reprimand ready on my lips, only to pause as I found a pair of golden eyes staring back down into mine. They sparkled in the sunlight, filled with barely concealed mischief and amusement that I knew would only spell trouble for me.

From where she sat on my shoulders, with her legs hooked beneath my arms, Shirone grinned teasingly down at me before giving my head another couple of condescending pats.

"Shirone, how many times must I tell to stop teasing Kiba during our training?" I admonished her, "And when did I ever agree to become your servant?"

A smirk flashed through her face for a heartbeat before she quickly hid it behind a faux serious expression. She removed her hand off the top of my head to tap her chin a couple of times while she cocked her head in thought, "Well, you feed me don't you?"

I didn't hesitate in the slightest to nod adamantly in response. There was no denying that. She invited herself over for almost every meal these days. Not that I minded of course but holy crap could the girl eat!

If Serafall hadn't provided me with what was practically unlimited funding to spend while I was here, I'm sure that Shirone would have eaten me out of house and home three times over by now. She devoured more food in a single meal than the rest of my peerage could eat throughout the entire day. Combined.

"And you take care of me as well, right?" Propping her chin on my head as she asked. I felt a feeling of trepidation wash over me for a moment before I reluctantly nodded my head. I'm not sure why, but I had a bad feeling that I wouldn't like where this was going.

Sure enough, her next words confirmed my fears. "Well since you feed me, take care of me, and do anything I ask you to, then what else could you possibly be but my servant?"

"Wait wait wait! Since when did I ever do anything you ask me?"

I felt her shift around on my shoulders as she moved about and her legs tighten their hold on me before she pushed herself off my head and lean down over in front of me. Her upside-down face ended up suspending before mine, only a few inches separating the two of us, while her hair dangled down towards the ground.

The pair of white-furred cat-ears that she now seemed to continuously have out began to fold flat against her head, making her look ridiculously sad. Her golden eyes grew wide with surprise and they quickly began to turn moist as unshed tears began to gather in them. Her chin wobbled slightly for a moment as she whispered out, "You…you mean you won't?"

"I…no, that's not what…I mean…" I stammered out trying to come up with something to say as her eyes, her wide heartbreaking eyes remained locked onto mine and her chin's trembling continued to grow more pronounced with every passing second.

Ok, now that just wasn't fair! I knew that look. How could I not when Ilya kept using it on me whenever she really wanted something. As if that wasn't bad enough but now Shirone learned how to do it too? Did they have classes specifically for little white haired girls where they go to learn how to do this or was it just genetic?

However, it wouldn't work. Not anymore. Not with my new found Devil Pride to help me resist. My pride will never allow me to bow down and become anyone's servant, even if it was just in name alone. Not even if the person happened to be an adorably sad little girl whose broken hearted face made me want to hug her until all her pain went away and promise the entire world just to make her smile again.

So no, unlike with Ilya I didn't cave into her demand right way. I've changed. This time I was able to resist for a full six seconds before I folded like a stack of cards.

"…Fine." I slumped over slightly as I stopped resisting and gave over to the inevitable. I could feel my broken pride weeping in a dark corner of my soul from the beating it received. "I give, I'm your servant, whatever, just cut the damn puppy eyes out."

At my words her frown disappeared and was instantly replaced with a cheerful smile. "_Nya-ha-ha-ha_," She laughed as flipped herself back up again. "See? What a good boy you are my little servant."

Then she began to fondly pat the top of my head again as if were a dog as all the while she smirked impishly down at me.

You know, the longer I began to hangout with Shirone the more certain I became of a certain truth. It was official, she was an _Evil kitty_.

I must that have said that out loud because the next thing I knew Shirone broke out in another string of laughter, "Shirou~. Didn't you know? All cats are Evil. We're just cute enough to get away with it, Nya-ha~."

Before I even got the chance to so much as think of a retort Kiba attacked, trying to take advantage of my distraction and sneak a blow in. It didn't work of course but that was the closest he came to hitting me all day.

With Shirone on my back I couldn't duck the blow as I usually would have, not without her getting hit in my place. So I blocked the blow with the flat of my blade instead. It wasn't an elegant solution but it worked, and with the power advantaged granted to me by my Queen Piece to his Knight, I was able to easily halt him in his tracks using brute strength alone.

We ended up standing face to face, with swords locked in place between us, before I broke the stalemate. Digging my feet into the ground I flexed my legs and pushed forward, forcing Kiba back and trying to knock him off balance. It didn't work as instead of fighting me, Kiba went along with my action. He leapt backwards and used my push to help propel himself away faster and soon he was a fair distance away from the reach of my sword.

He leapt back a couple of more times than he needed to, stopping only when he cleared a wide stretch of open space between us. As he skidded to a halt he immediately held his sword in before him, in the classic two handed grip, in preparation for any counter attack I may attempt. He didn't need to bother as I just held my ground instead and waited for him to come to me and, to my mild surprise, he did the same.

The Kiba in front of me was a far cry from what he was when we first started training. Even as little as a month ago he would have never been content to sit back and wait. The old him would rely completely on his speed and reflexes to get him through a fight, rushing in and trying to overwhelm his opponent at the first opportunity.

And to his credit it would work pretty well most of the time. Even for a Knight Kiba was scary fast and at times even I had trouble keeping up with him without reinforcing myself. He would have been able to finish off most opponents before they even realized that they were being attacked but against someone of a higher caliber than him, his recklessness would doom him.

But now he was already different, all I had to do was watch his eyes for proof. They weren't locked onto me like they used to. They were slowly drifting left and right, scanning the terrain around us in addition to myself.

He had already attempted all of his regular lines of attack over our weeks of sparring and they all failed. Several times in fact. So he had been forced to learn how to use his brain rather than just his skills when fighting me.

To learn how to observe the field of a battle as well as his opponent was a skill that would have been worthless in a regular sword match but utterly invaluable in the battlefield. That is the difference between fighting a single opponent in a sparring match and fighting several opponents in a constantly shifting battlefield.

And that was why I left him to it uninterrupted. That was what I had been trying to teach him all this time so there was no way I'm going to interfere now that he was finally getting it right. So I lowered my sword slightly and took a semi-relaxed stance, waiting for him to finish and see what he came up with.

Kiba didn't really need me to teach him any sword skills. Other than his lack of flexibility it was already near flawless for his age. Not surprising, seeing as he had a first class instructor helping him train. Souji Okita was one of the greatest living swordsmen in the Underworld and, if Kiba was anything to go by, an equally skilled teacher, if a little old fashioned.

So no, I didn't need to bother teaching him any sword skills. What I tried to teach him instead, other than observing the entire battlefield, was something that only I as a fellow crafter of multiple swords could teach. How to fully utilize the advantage that our swords granted us.

Right now he was only the using the direct application of his sword's abilities, which was a complete waste of his true potential. What he needed to realize, just as how I did long ago, is that it was not the abilities of ours swords that made them powerful, but knowing how and when to use them. The pure flexibility and versatility is our fighting styles' greatest asset, and the sooner he figured that out the better.

He was learning of course, if rather slower than I'd have liked but he was progress was progress and he getting a little bit better every single day. But he was still too rigid to my liking, to predictable. I wanted him to do something unexpected, something that I wouldn't see coming-

"I," He intoned, his voice cutting clear across the clearing and dragging me from my thoughts, "am the bone of my sword."

…What the hell?

I felt my jaw drop as I gaped in utter incomprehension at him, almost dropping my sword in my shock. Even Shirone nearly slipped off my shoulder, tilting over in surprise before she regained her wits and righted herself. I felt her then lean forward as far as she could as she joined me in staring in disbelief at the boy.

Well…at least I got my wish. I sure as hell didn't see that coming.

For a moment I almost convinced myself that I must have misheard him, that I did not just hear him chant my Aria, but then the little prick had the audacity to carry on.

"With a body of iron," His face was a mask of utter focus as he chanted the words, his eyes never leaving mine, "and a heart of fire."

This time took a deep breath before charging ahead as he continued the chant, "Utterly alone I forge my-"

The rest of the aria was abruptly cut off when he found the bottom of a shoe slamming into his jaw as I front kicked the little brat in the face.

He stumbled backwards, tumbling head over heels on the ground before he skidded to a stop only a few meters away. I stalked up to him, barely waiting for him to raise him head back up before I pointed the tip of my sword at him his nose.

"Ok…" I stared down incredulously at him. "What the hell was that supposed to do? Other than getting me to kick your ass even faster than usual?" While a part of me was bewildered about the entire thing, the rest of me felt alarmingly jealous. As irrational as it maybe, the thought of someone trying to steal my Aria spiked a wave of possessiveness in me.

Shirone had a completely opposite response to mine if her side splitting laughter was anything to go by. I actually had to reach up and grab onto her just as she was about to roll of my shoulder in her fit of laughter.

"_Nya-ha-ha-ha-ha_, oh Kiba-chi~! That was the stupidest thing I've ever seen. Ever!" She pushed herself forward and looked down at Kiba. "Not even the pervert Issei has ever done something so stupidly hilarious before."

Kiba, having regain his senses, pushed himself up to a sitting position, gingerly cradling his jaw. "What was so stupid about it? Nothing else was working and if it help Shirou in a fight why wouldn't it help me? It was worth a try at least." His voice was muffled by his hand. Ignoring my sword, he pushed himself up to his feet. "And did you have to kick me so hard?"

"Yes." I nodded without hesitation before pausing as it occurred to me that I may have overreacted just a bit and I quickly added. "It was to teach you the consequence of talking too much in battle." While weak, it was the first excuse I could think of.

Going by the doubtful look Kiba shot me I don't think he quite bought it, but other than staring at me dubiously for a few more seconds he decided to let it go before turning to walk over to where he dropped his sword. He turned around after picking it up and assumed his usual stance.

Seeing that he still wanted to continue I decided to do the same. This time however, I didn't mimic and instead projected my own swords. Kanshou and Bakuya fell into my hands and I assumed Archer's favored wide open stance, all but outright inviting him to attack me.

We both inched closer to each other and just as we bent our knees in preparation to charge, we were interrupted by a dull ringing echoing through the clearing. It took me a couple of seconds, engrossed in our match as I was, to peg the sound as the ringing of the school's bell, which signaled both the opening of the school's gates and the end of the day's training.

"Oh thank everything good and merciful it's finally over." Sona managed to breathe out before she finally surrendered to gravity, releasing her grip on the staff and collapsing into heap of strangled limbs. A thump was heard soon after when her staff joined her on the ground.

Unlike Sona, Kiba was far too well trained to allow himself to collapse in exhaustion no matter how fatigued he was. Instead he took a few slow steps backwards, widening the space between us and careful not to let his guard completely down until he was well out of my range, having learned the hard way I was willing to sneak in a few last minute blows in, before stopping and dismissing both his swords.

He groaned as he placed his hands on his back and stretched. "You know," He began as he ran his metallic grey eyes over me and Shirone, "as grateful as I am for the training, I can't help but find it a little bit unfair how untired you two are compared to me. The two of you barely look like you've worked up a sweat."

"That has as much to do with your own magic supply as it does your physical training." Dismissing my own swords in turn. "Even without training, all Devils instinctively use their magic to fortify their bodies and that allows them to push their endurance to far greater levels then they would be able to otherwise.

"As a Reincarnated Devil with no previous skills in magic before your reincarnation, your magic supply is naturally rather low compared to most Devils. Outside of the Pawn, the Knight piece grants the least amount of magic from all of the Evil Pieces.

"Don't worry though, even if you do nothing at all a Devil's magic will increase naturally as you mature and age. It won't ever stop growing no matter how old you get. There is a reason why the strongest Devils tend to be the oldest ones after all. Just give it time and your stamina will naturally increase on its own, and training will do nothing but help.

"I guessed as much," he nodded while he took deep even breaths to help him recover from the strenuous workout, "but that doesn't explain why you're so much less tired than me. I didn't think being a Queen makes that much of a difference. I've trained with Akeno often enough to know she gets tired almost as quickly as I do."

"That's because Akeno is a magic specialist. While her magic supply is probably more than a match for mine, her physical body is simply too weak to take full advantage of it. You probably never noticed it before, seeing as you haven't fought in a Rating Game yet and the only Queens you interacted with are Ultimate Devils such as Grayfia but for the most parts, Queens tend to fall into one of two categories.

"The first kind are the magic specialist. To put it simply you could more or less call them Bishops rather than Queens. Their entire fighting style consists of them trying to bombard their enemy from afar with overwhelming amount of magical firepower. While their attacks tend to be incredibly destructive, they also have almost no talent in close-range fighting, only using their speed to avoid enemies and their attacks, only relying on their defense to get them through when they can't.

"The second kind of Queens are the close-combat specialists. As you can guess they are the complete opposite of the first. Forgoing most of their magic, they try and get in close to their enemy and fight either hand-to-hand or with weapons. While not as destructive as the magic-specialist, they tend to be far more resilient and flexible in battle.

"Most Queens tend to fall into one or the other category. It's rather rare for Queens to be skilled in both fields. The only one that are tend to be from the older generation like Grayfia, who had centuries to hone their skills."

To say I disapproved of the practice was putting it lightly. While I understood intellectually at least that it was extremely difficult and time consuming for someone to train both their magic and bodies at once, it was such a waste. Queens had the potential to be great in both areas but so few ever reach that potential.

I gave my head a quick shake and got back to the topic at hand. "Anyway, despite Akeno's large supply of magic her body simply lacks the training to channel it all for long periods of time. You'll probably never have this problem seeing as your situation is the opposite of hers, but channeling Mana can exhaust the body just as easily as physical excursion. This causes her body to exhaust itself long before she even gets close of running out of magic.

"Tsubaki on the other hand," I nodded towards Sona, where her unmoving form still laid flat along the ground, "is a close combat specialist. If you ever end up facing her in combat you'll find, that despite having a lower supply of magic, she can physically outlast Akeno by a wide margin. Isn't that right Sona?"

A drawn out groan was the only reply I received. It came out rather muffled, what with the way her face was buried in the grass, so I wasn't quite sure whether it was one of agreement or of pain.

It may have been rather cruel of me, but I couldn't resist sparing a moment to take in and enjoy the rare sight of Sona in such an undignified state. Her usual dignity and rigid formality was nowhere to be seen as she laid prone on the ground, face-first, breathing into the patch of grass her head was resting on.

The Sin of Pride was such an unusual thing.

It was her Pride that demanded for her to grow stronger. To grow _strong_. To suffer through whatever pain and hardship, to bear any indignity it had to and do it all willingly if it meant removing the stain on her Pride that was caused by her weakness. It would never allow her to relive the helplessness she felt on that day. The shame of being crushed and defeated, only to watch on, helpless as a newborn child, as others decided her fate. Never again.

Yet it was the very same Pride that barred her from training with her Peerage. To her, her Peerage was what lay in the heart of her Pride, and it is for that very reason she didn't want them to see her reduced to such a state. To allow those that she prided herself in, see her in anything less than her best was intolerable.

So she would sneak out every day without them knowing, forgoing time usually spent on extra-curriculum studying to train instead. And did she ever train. Though by far the weakest of us all physically, she refused to allow us to slow our pace down for her sake.

Every morning without fail she appeared bright and early to train alongside us, not stopping until she collapsed as her body gave up on her and even then she wouldn't leave. When her limbs ended up quivering like jello and held just as much strength remaining in them, she still forced herself to remain standing and tried to hobble along after us, only allowing herself rest when we did.

It was then, after the first week that I saw her do this, did I begin to suspect that there may have been something more to her new found effort. That there was something other than her Pride driving her to do this.

Not for the first time I began to wonder, what was it that she saw reflected in the light of that sword?

Whatever it was it couldn't have been as bad as whatever Saji had seen. While his fellow Peerage members were understandably skittish of me for a while, Saji was the complete opposite. The very next time he laid eyes on me he broke down crying, sobbing like a little girl before, with a cry of 'Aniki', he embraced me in a hug and wouldn't stop weeping for a good ten minutes after.

Yeah, that would have been a rather awkward moment under any circumstance, but he had managed to make it even worse by doing it in the middle of Homeroom.

Saji had just barged into my classroom on our very first day back, ignored the teacher and just ran straight at me with arms wide open and tears running down his face.

Ever since. rumors about Kuoh Academy's newest BL couple had begun to circulate, alongside with the Issei/Kiba pairing.

But that wasn't important.

What was important, is that Sona had asked me to both help her train and to keep her Peerage from finding out about it. Since I was beginning to find myself become quite familiar with the folly of Pride, I was more than happy to oblige her.

However, that didn't mean I was above a bit of petty revenge. What with all the losses I suffered by her hand in chess, it's only fair that I use this chance to get back at her. And her asking me to do this to her just made it that much sweeter.

"As for me I'm a mix of both of physical and magical." I continued my explanation. "I may not look it but I used to practice a bit of Magecraft before I became a Devil. I was never very good at it but it was enough to help boost my magical supply to its current level."

"Not very good he says." With her head still face first in the grassy ground, too tired to bother lifting it, Sona grumbled out. "He created an entire bloody world with nothing but his soul and magic, and he say he's not very good. What kind of system do you measure yourself with? Probably the same one he uses to judge that 'yes' is an adequate answer to 'if you have a lot of swords?'"

"I…see." Kiba finally added when Sona's voice continued to diminish in volume until it devolved to a near silent, incoherent grumbling. His eyes shifted upwards until they landed on Shirone. "What about Koneko then?"

I had already opened my mouth to respond before shutting it again when I realized that I did not know the answer. Except for when she had one of her playful streaks like she did today, Shirone usually trained just as hard as the rest of us did during our little get together. Yet she had no trouble keeping pace with me.

Why did she out last Kiba?

I tilted up my head up towards her, only to find her already looking down at me with an answer ready on her lips, "It's because I'm a cat silly."

After a few more seconds of silence, it became clear that she didn't have anything else to add so I turned back to Kiba and told him, "She's a cat."

"A cat?" he cocked an eyebrow.

I nodded "A cat."

"Yup a cat,_ nya-ha_" Shirone finished with cheer.

"What she means is," Sona interrupted, still not bothering to lift her head up from the grass, "that she's a Nekoshou. While as a species they have a rather unimpressive amount of magic supply, rating somewhere near the lower end of the spectrum, they still have a lot more Mana running through their system than your average human."

She lifted her head from the ground and looked up at us. Strands of grass covered her face, tangled up in her hair and hanged off her glasses but she ignored them. "Add in their body's ability to channel extraordinarily amounts of Mana, then what you more or less end up with are a species made up of stamina freaks." And having said her part, she dropped her head back down again with a thud.

Shirone just stared dumbly at her for a few seconds before nodding knowingly. "That's what I said. Cats."

I resisted the urge to shake my head at her. "Kiba, you might want to start heading back soon if you want to squeeze in a shower before class starts." I told him as I took in his sweat drench form. "With all the parents coming today, I doubt any of the teachers would tolerate us looking anything less than our best."

"That's right, that's today isn't it?" He ran a hand though his hair, grimacing when it came back soaked.

"Buchou has been fretting over it for weeks now, trying to make sure her brother doesn't hear about it. She makes such a big deal about it every year." He shrugged. "I don't understand it myself, Sirzechs isn't that bad. And it must be kind of nice, having someone coming." His voice drifted off towards the end, before he visibly gave himself a shake and turned back to me.

"What about you Senpai? Do you have any parents coming?"

"I don't have any parents so no but my sister is definitely coming." Smiling at the thought. It's been almost two months since I've last seen Ilya. I don't think we've ever been separated for this long, not since the first time we met. A small pang of sadness hit me as I realized that this would be the first time that Fuji-nee wouldn't be the one coming but I quickly pushed the thought away. "And unlike your king, I'm actually looking forward to seeing my sibling again."

"That's good then." He flashed me a genuine smile, happy for my own fortune, before looking towards Sona. "How about you Kaichou, do you have anyone coming?"

Sona didn't say anything in reply, either having not heard him in her exhaustion or too tired to answer. Just as Kiba about to ask again he was interrupted by a low ominous chuckle. As quite as it was, it took us a moment to realize that it was coming from Sona.

"Ha…haha…hahahaha…" it started off as a quite thing but it wasn't long before Sona tossed her head back and all but cackled like a demented Disney villain. "Hahahaha! Is anyone coming he asks? Is anyone coming? Well let me tell you." She turned her manic eyes, which seemed to glow with an inner fire, to Kiba while a twisted smile adorned her lips.

"No." She answered him, rolling the word in her tongue as if she could taste it. "No one is coming, and it's going to be positively wonderful!" She flipped herself over onto her back before breaking down into another fit of cackling laughter, one that showed no sign of abating anytime soon.

Kiba shot me a worried glance but I had no better idea to what was wrong with her than he did, so I just shook my head in return. We both looked up to Koneko but see looked just as confused as we were. Feeling our eyes on her, she just gave us a shrug. Looks like she didn't know either.

So for a lack of anything better to do we collectively agreed to stand by and watch as Sona continued to laugh like a maniac. It was only when what felt like the better part of a minute had past did she finally begin to taper off.

"Do you know what it feels like," She pushed herself up into a sitting position, her voice taking an oddly sober tone, "to be have a sister like mine? To have her appear, cosplaying as a magical girl and embarrassing you in front of the entire student population, year after year?

"I am the Student Council President and the top honor student of my school. I had worked hard for that position, spent years cultivating my reputation so that I could earn it, truly earn it rather than use my family's influence to gain it.

"So can you imagine how it feels like to see that reputation ruined, no, not ruined, but utterly demolished over the course of a single afternoon as the entire student population bears witness to you running down the school corridors for all you've got for the better part of an hour while being chased by a magical girl cosplayer who keeps yelling 'yuri-yuri love' all the while?

"Then after suffering though all of that only to spend the reminder of the week using every scrap of free time you have tracking down and erasing the entire student body's memory of the event because the only way you would dare show your face back in school otherwise is with a paper bag over your head?"

"Do you what that feels like, to go through that every single year since freaking Kindergarten? Well, do you? No, no of course you don't. You couldn't possibly know what it feels like. And this year," her smile returned, "neither will I. And it's going to be wonderful." She threw her arms into the air and fell back down onto her back.

"This year we made sure neither one of our siblings knew about the class visits. We gave them the wrong date, telling them that it will take place during next week, which will be a holiday. By then it'll be too late. This year, there is absolutely no way my sister will turn up.

"Rias and I, we have spent months planning for this. Though it's a rather simple plan, we're taking no chances. For almost a year now we've been meticulously going through every detail, looking for each and every possible way of our siblings finding out, no matter how improbable it may be, and taking steps to eliminate it.

"Do you know what this means?" Her eyes shining with joy. "It means that there will be no family to embarrass me, no sister chasing me throughout the school and most especially there will be no one trying to get me dressed up as magical girl only to take a bunch of pictures to fill the family album.

"No, none of that. This day will be nothing special, nothing extraordinary. It will be mundane and, dare I say it, dull. Today will be remembered in our memories as nothing but another completely ordinary school event, one that will not distinguish itself from the countless others like it." She let out a content sigh. "And it will be glorious."

…Oh shit.

Very, very slowly I looked away from Sona, being careful not to look her in the eyes least she notices my nervousness.

How the hell was I supposed to know that she didn't want Serafall here? She didn't tell me, no one did. They never even brought it up. Did they forget whose Queen I was or something?

I had just contacted her last night to make sure that both Ilya and her were coming today, and that's when we realized she had the wrong date. Serafall had all but exploded with excitement when she realize she was going to meet her little 'So-tan' earlier than expected.

And looking at how happy Sona was, what with the occasional manic laughter she kept releasing, I didn't have the heart to tell her how badly her plan had backfired and that Serafall was already on her way. That and I might have been a little scared of what she'd do to me.

"So…" Trying to change the topic I turned back to Kiba quickly searched my mind for something to talk about, anything to distract Sona from the current situation, "What are you going to do for most of the day? If this place is anything like my old school then we won't get any real work done in class and they teachers will end the lesson early."

Students who had their parents coming over would spend their spare time with them but Kiba didn't have anyone coming to see him. It may have a little bit harsh talking like this but I learned long ago that tip toeing around issues did nothing but make the situation more awkward. No one liked to be pitied after all. Plus it wasn't as if I had parents of my own either.

"Ah, well." He scratched the back of his head. For some reason he looked really awkward. "I planned to see what Issei, Matsuda and Motohama were up to."

"The Perverted Trio?" Sona asked, sounding genuinely surprised. "What are you doing hanging around the three of them for? I didn't realize you were friends with them. Well, other than Issei."

Kiba shook his head. "I'm not. Not really. It's just that, well," He indicated to his face, "with my Devil's Trait I'm limited to the amount of people I can hang around with. Normal girls are naturally out, so that only leaves the boys. And well…" He trailed off, looking a bit uncomfortable about the topic but fortunately Sona was more than willing to finish his explanation for him.

"Even interacting with ordinary male humans will end up causing you problems. Any girl they are either dating or planning on asking out will end up ignoring them and start pursing you instead the moment your Charm takes hold of them. That rules them out as well." Sona gained a thoughtful look before beginning to scrutinize Kiba. "Ah, I see. So that's why you're hanging out with those three. I must admit, I'm mildly impressed. I didn't think you had it in you be so calculating."

A displeased expression passed over Kiba's face. "Don't say it like that. I'm genuinely trying to make some new friends yet you're making it sound as if I'm doing something bad."

"Don't misunderstand, I wasn't trying to reprimand you," Sona placated him, a pleased smirk touching her lips, "on the contrary I'm actually praising you. When taking the effects of your Charm into account, those three are the only possible human candidates you can have as friends at school.

"As there is no possible chance that a girl would ever willing get close to them, let alone date them, then there is little chance of the Charm having an adverse effects on interactions you may have with them. Being in the same year group as you means that you'll share at least some of your classes with one of them.

"All in all they're actual a pretty ideal choice. Well," she corrected herself with a scowl, "so long as you discount their personalities that is."

"Ouch," I winced. "That's putting it kind of harshly isn't it Sona?" I haven't really had a chance to interact with any of the three of them, what with them being in a grade lower than me, but they couldn't be that bad. Could they?

She just waved my objections away, "It's the truth. I see no reason why I should sugar coat it." Before turning back to Kiba. "However, there is one flaw with your plan. What are you going to end up doing with them? While having new friends is a good thing, I find it unlikely you'll find anything in common with those three."

"Ah, about that," his smile turned a little awkward as he rubbed the back of his neck, "I was going to ask them to teach me about porn."

Oh so that's why, he's going to ask them about porn- wait, WHAT!?

Around me, the entire clearing became deadly silent as every single one of us gawked at the boy, stunned speechless.

Kiba carried on, not noticing our reaction. "I mean, that's what boys my age do, right? Watch porn." He paused as he finally began to take note of our reaction. He looked around at us rather awkwardly as he tried to carry on, "That's…that's right, isn't it? That's what teen boy are supposed to do…right?"

An awkward silence took hold of the clearing as Kiba's words drifted off to a halt. He looked hesitantly around us, appearing more confused over our reaction than anything else.

"Kiba-chi." Shirone, finally breaking the silence, looked at Kiba with an expression more serious than I've seen on her for a while. "Thank goodness you're so pretty because _holy shit_ you're stupid."

Sona, finally knocked out of her stunned stupor, took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Kiba…Why? No, no wait." She signaled him with her hand to stop, "I don't think I want to know."

"Kiba." I walked up to the boy and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Kiba," I repeated solemnly while looking in his eyes. "Watching porn is…_exactly_ what every teenage boy should do."

Serafall would never forgive me if I let this moment pass, not in a million years, especially when she'll be here to see the fallout herself when it happens.

So instead of whacking him on the back of the head to see if I can knock the stupid out of him, I nodded my head in what I hoped appeared to be a wise manner as I continued, "Ignore the girls, they've always been squeamish when talking about these things in public. Go, hang out with Issei and the other two and ask them to teach you about porn. I'm sure they'll be happy to talk to you once you explain why you're there."

While he still looking a little bit less sure with himself than he did earlier, what with the way his eyes kept jumping between a face-palming Sona, up to the wide-eyed look of surprise of Shirone only to jump back again to my encouraging smiling face. Unsure who he should listen to, he apparently decided to just stick with his original plan.

"Ok then, if you say so." Glancing up once again to the quickly brightening sky, he added. "I'll need to start heading back anyway if I want to have enough time to squeeze in a shower."

Walking over towards the edge of the clearing, he bent down and scooped up his school bag from where he had dumped it at the start of our training. Giving us one final look over his shoulder as he made his way down the path leading back to the school, "I'll be going on ahead, you guys better hurry up if you don't want to be late."

"Don't worry," I told him as I waved him on, "we'll catch up to you in a few minutes."

"Ok then. See you all in class." And then he was out of sight of him as the trees blocked our view of him. I stared at the direction he disappeared to for a moment before letting loose a sigh.

"And there goes the greatest idiot I have ever known." Who would have thought that Kiba was actually rather stupid? Then again, he was a blond.

"Shirou," Sona looked up at me from between the gaps of her finger, still refusing to release her face-palm. "Why didn't you try to stop him?"

"You mean other than it being utterly hilarious when Kiba walks into the middle of a classroom full of students and publicly asks the Perverted Trio if they will teach him about porn?"

"Yes," Sona started to massage her temple, "other than that."

"Because I genuinely think this might be good for him." At her disbelieving look I explained. "Think about it. By the looks of it the boy has never seen porn before. No, while I can't say for sure, it sounded like he has no clear idea what porn is even used for. And that's not normal, I mean even Asia knows what porn is." No matter how much I wish it ain't so.

"I see. Rias told me that she had never seen him show any interests in girls before. For a while we actually entertained the possibility that he might have been gay but neither of us had ever seen him show any interest in men either.

"Yes," She nodded as she slipped her glasses back on, "if you think of it that way the Pervert Trio may actually be good for him." Her eyes widened for an instant before shutting them again with a groan of disbelief. "And I can't believe you got me to admit that those three's perverted antics may actually be beneficial for something."

"There is also the added bonus of this event destroying his perfect image." At Sona's prompting look I elaborated. "His reputation as a flawless prince does him more harm than good in the long run. Other than his Trait, it is perhaps the biggest barrier that separates him from his peers. When we put someone up on a pedestal they stop becoming human in our eyes, making them much harder to interact with."

"True." She nodded, "Though as the Student Council President I find it more of a benefit than a hindrance but I can understand why it may not be that way for Kiba. Still, I hope this won't be the day we remember as the birth of the Perverted Quartet."

A gentle tapping on the top of my head drew my gaze upwards to find Shirone looking down at me with a frightened expression. Her ears were laid flat down against her head and her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Shirou." she whimpered out, sounding genuinely frightened. "Shirou, Kiba-chi…Kiba-chi's not going to end up becoming a pervert…is he?"

I cracked a smile at that, "No Shirone," I assured her. "Kiba's not becoming a pervert. His just going through puberty. Five years later than he should have but other than that it's completely normal."

One of her ears jump up as her expression began to turn hopeful. "So, no pervert?

"No pervert." I confirmed.

"Good." she nodded as both her ears stood straight up. "Perverts are bad."

"Sure they are." Chuckling at her antics. To think that something as little as the possibility of Kiba turning into a pervert could get her that worried.

Still, Kiba had a point about the time and considering who was coming today I didn't want to risk being late. Who knew what Serafall would end up doing if she doesn't find Sona and me when she gets here?

With that in mind I turned to face where Sona had once again decided to lay back down on the ground, "Sona, get up. It's time we start heading back."

While her breath had long since evened out, Sona still appeared entirely exhausted. Her normally immaculate appearance was gone, replaced by a sweating, grass stained girl who, despite her efforts to hide it, still looked as if she'd like nothing more than to fall asleep on the ground right then and there.

And this right here is the crutch of the problem I have with Pure-blooded Devils. For all of their potential, practically the entire lot of them are physically frail. And they had no one to blame it on but themselves.

Unlike with Reincarnated Devils, Pure-blooded Devils are born with a body similar in nature to that of a Queen. And those born to a powerful Clan, such as one of the 72 Pillars, tend to be blessed with an even stronger body in addition to their Clan's famed ability.

With enough training they can develop the raw power and defense of a Rook, the speed of a Knight and the magic of a Bishop. And that's without the help from an Evil Piece. With one, they can become even more powerful. There is a reason why the children of the 72 pillars are so highly prized.

However despite that potential, only a handful among them ever truly achieve it.

It's not that Pure-blooded Devils don't train; on the contrary, nothing could be farther than the truth. I'd be surprised if there was a single one among that that doesn't train.

In a culture where rank and status is determined largely by the power one has, it's only natural that many Devils would do almost anything to gain it. Be it lying, deceiving or cold-blooded murder. To quench their thirst for power, they won't shy away from any act to gain it. They'd even be willing to stoop down and dirty their own hands for power. Even going as far to do something as utterly unappealing and repulsive to them as honest hard work.

The introduction of the Rating Games has only cemented this mindset. A game where the only objective is victory and the reward is a rise in one's status, is it really surprising that Devils have begun to take their training more seriously than ever.

In the Underworld, children begin their training as soon as they turn six. By then, a child's body should have matured to withstand the strain of casting spells, enabling them the ability to properly wield their Clan's magic without harming themselves.

So no, lack of training isn't the issue. The real problem lies in the general bias that magical strength is superior to physical strength.

Though calling it a bias is rather unfair of me, seeing as there is some logic behind the belief. Throughout history, the most powerful Devils that have emerged from the Underworld have always gained their reputation of strength through the might of their magic alone.

Even today the most influential Devils in the Underworld are primarily magic users. All four Maous prefer fighting with magic over hand-to-hand combat or with weapons. Even among the Reincarnated Devil the situation is the same.

Until my arrival the strongest Reincarnated Devil was Rudiger Rosenkreutz. Without even having the benefit of a Sacred Gear he was among of the first humans to achieve the rank of Ultimate-Class Devil and is ranked 7th in the rating games. He also happens to be a stereotypical mage that relied entirely on his magic and tactics to win his fights.

With so much evidence to feed their bias it was only natural that Pure-blooded Devils, who have always disdained physical labor of all kinds, tend to neglect the physical aspects of their training. There was also the small stigma that Devils that train their body over magic only do so because they lack the skill and intelligence to wield magic.

This brings us back to our current situation and the reason why Sona has turned into the quivering pile of limbs before me. At my prompting, Sona tried to push herself up, only to collapse before she was even halfway up to her feet. She ended up planting her face on the ground before falling onto her side.

Sona here is a perfect example of a typical Pure-blooded Devil. No, scratch that, she's even worse. I guess I shouldn't be surprised what with her sitting behind a desk all day but still, this horrible. Sure, she's not as weak as a pawn would be but that's not saying much.

I began to poke her with the end of my shoe a couple of times, trying to prod her into motion when it became apparent that she wouldn't be getting up again anytime soon.

"Come on Sona. You can't lie there all day, you've got classes to attend."

"…Shirou…I…can't feel my legs…just…go on without me."

If there was one thing that I truly loved about training Sona was watching how she acted after the training was over. I don't know if it was the exhaustion or the agonizing pain that she was in that did it, but she actually loosens up quite a bit. She's so relaxed that she actually acts, well, normal.

While I wasn't too surprised by how she acted, as I had seen her mask drop from time to time, the others found the entire situation surreal. While I knew that Sona never really let her guard down to anyone outside her Peerage, family or a handful of close friends, I had no idea that the image she projected to others was so harsh. Hell, the first time Sona cracked a joke Kiba was convinced that she was high on something.

If Serafall had ever found out that extreme physical exercise was what it took to make Sona gain a sense of humor she would have whipped her ass into shape years ago. Unfortunately she didn't, and since I'm not cruel enough to tell her, it looks like it'll be my job to do it instead.

By the looks of things Sona has over exerted herself. Again. I swear if it wasn't for Asia regularly checking up on her and fixing any real damage I would have put a stop to her training long ago. As it was it looks like I'm going to have to carry her back again aren't I?

With that plan in mind I turned to look up at my little passenger.

"Sorry Shirone, but I'm going to carry Sona back to school. You're going to need to get off."

"No." She scowled angrily down at me, which just made her more adorable than anything, before possessively patting my head. "This is my seat, _nya_, tell her to get her own."

I restrained a sigh when Shirone's territorial tendencies propped up again. While it was rather cute at first, and to be completely honest still is, it can become rather problematic at times. Fortunately I have long ago learned how to deal with stubborn and possessive white-haired little girls.

_Bribery_.

"I packed three extra lunch boxes today and placed them in my locker." I noted how her ears perked up before swerving around towards me at the mention of food. "If you hurry back to school, you should have enough time to eat them before the start of morning classes."

Shirone watched me dubiously before turning to look at the direction where the school stood behind the trees only to look back down at me again, or more precisely the spot that she claimed as 'her' seat. Her eyes continued to leap between the school and me, her features twisting into a mask of indecision as she was apparently torn over her two choices.

Sensing weakness I decided to pounce, "I even packed some _yokan_ for dessert today."

At the sound of her favorite food, Shirone perked up. "Really?"

"Yes, really." I laughed at her, "Now get going."

"Kaaay~~" she chirped back with a grin.

Placing both of her hands on top of my head for balance, Shirone pushed downwards and lifted her body with the strength of her arms alone. I felt her legs release their hold on me as she twisted and raised them into the air above her, basically using my head to hold a handstand, before, with quick shove of her hands, she launched herself forward.

She folded her knees to her chest and spun in small circles a couple of times before landing gracefully on her feet, her knees bending to absorb the impact.

Rising from her crouch she flashed me one final smile over her shoulders, "See yeah later Shirou~, _nya-ha_," before darting away.

I watched her as she scurried away back to school, ignoring the path that Kiba used and instead taking a more direct route through the trees. I made sure to keep my eyes on her as she made her way back, which was why I was able to see it when it happened.

Her ears folded flat against her head before they disappeared, almost as if they fused with her hair. Her cat-like tail, which swung left and right with her every step, slowly started to retract until it was hidden from view beneath her skirt.

But the most worrying was her smile.

That juvenile and mischievous smile, the like of which I would have never imaged coming from that scared lonely girl I met on the rooftop not too long ago. I watched as that smile of hers disappeared, slowly slipping off her face, only to be replaced by that far too familiar stoic mask of hers.

No, calling it a mask was not quite right. Sona wore a mask and this didn't feel anything like that. What Shirone did was something different. It almost looked like she was more…subdued? Like if she was submersing herself in water until only her head remained above the surface.

And it hurt to watch.

To see her so lively and spirited one moment only to become so detached and cold the instant she leave my sight just feel wrong. I know she's getting better but still…children aren't supposed to behave like that.

"There you go with that worried look on your face again. First with Issei and now Koneko. To think my sister would choose such a worrywart for a Queen." Sona's voice cut through my thoughts. "If you keep letting every little thing get to you, my sister's antics will have your hair turning completely white before you're thirty."

I quirked a smile as her words conjured up an image of Archer in my mind. At least I no longer had to worry about that anymore. Other that one streak of white, my hair had long stopped losing its colour since my Reincarnation.

I turned around to find Sona had pushed herself back to a seated position, her arms propped up behind her. "She'll be fine. I don't know what you and Kiba having been doing to help her but it's working wonders."

"Kiba?" I asked in surprise, "I thought she only acted like that around me."

Sona shook her head, "No, she acts just as spirited with Kiba as she does with you. Well, maybe not quite as mischievous but she's definitely more open around him as well. Though it's understandable that you didn't notice since she brightens up the moment you appear"

"I see." I nodded, pleased. "That's good, at least she's doing better than I thought." I couldn't help but frown though as a troubling thought occurred to me. "But why doesn't she behave that way with Gremory? If anyone I would have guessed she'd be more comfortable around her."

"No. It's quite the opposite." Sona's voice took on a now familiar tone, one I had mentally dubbed as her lecturing voice. "It would be more surprising if she did act that way in front of Rias. After all, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to call Rias something like a parent to Koneko. And no matter how kind they act, parents will always be an authority figure to their children. Something to respect and obey, never an equal. It's only natural for a child to be on their best behavior in front of them."

"But that doesn't explain why she acts that way around me." I pointed out the flaw in her theory. "In term of authority, I arguably outrank Rias and definitely outrank her."

"That may be so but that isn't how Koneko sees it. To her, Rias has far more authority over her than you do. She said it herself didn't she? To her Rias is her master, while you on the other hand, how did she put it again?" A smirk grew on her face, "Ah yes, her little servant I believe she called you."

I nodded, conceding the point. "So because she doesn't see me as an authority figure, she feels like she can misbehave in front of me without being punished?"

I thought back to all the times she stole my food and broke into my house and suddenly I had no trouble believing Sona's theory. I would never dare pull half the stunts she did if I thought I'd get in trouble for it.

"Something like that." She nodded before her smirk grew even wider. "Though it could simply be her way of showing affection. They do say that kids tend to tease the ones they like the most." But the next instant her smirk disappeared as she took a more solemn look. "Then there is Koneko's fear of abandonment to consider."

"Abandonment? She thinks that Gremory would abandon her? Impossible." That was completely ridiculous even to me. There has never once been a case where a Gremory had allowed members of their Peerage leave, willingly or otherwise. Their Greed will never allow it. The chance of that happening to Koneko is so close to zero it's not even worth considering.

"I agree, but just because we know that doesn't mean Koneko does." Sona sighed while adjusting her frames. "Remember Shirou, that Koneko was already abandoned by her family once before. You don't go through something like that and expect to emerge unscathed.

"I've read that foster or adopted children tend to behave in one of two extremes when their first taken in by a new family. They either misbehave whenever they can or religiously follow every rule down to the letter. Both reactions are caused by their fear of abandonment.

"The first group are so certain that they're going to be thrown away that they'd cause trouble to hasten the process, believing that it's better to be abandoned now rather than later, after they had gotten attached to the new family. It's supposed to hurt them less that way.

"Then there is the second group, who are so terrified of being abandoned again that they would do anything for that not to happen. They follow all the rules, obey every command given to them eagerly, just hoping and praying that they pleased their new family enough that they would want to keep them instead of throwing them away."

A silent and obedient Shirone, so eager to please, leaping to fulfill even at the smallest sign of a request, all the while utterly terrified that she'd be thrown away, returned back to that hellish prison where they found her.

Rage flooded my veins, forcing me to grit my teeth so hard they I could practically feel them bleed as I bit back my anger. Why was it that I could so easily picture it happening?

"Shirou, calm down." Even through my rage I could hear the exasperation in her voice. "Didn't I just tell you she'll be fine? That was a long time ago, things are not like that anymore. Look, she's not afraid of misbehaving in front of you is she?" Sona pointed out.

That actually gave me pause. "No." I answered, hesitantly shaking my head after thinking it through. "No, she's not."

Sona smiled up at me. "And that's why she'll be fine. If she's willing to act that way around you that means she feels safe. That no matter how badly she misbehaves or how much trouble she cause you that you'll never abandon her."

"Damn straight I won't." As if I'll ever let that happen.

"Then that's all you'll ever need to do to help her. She's healing Shirou, anyone that looks at her can see that. Just give her time. Wounds like that needs time to properly heal, try to rush it and you'll just end up making things worse. So let her heal, just be nearby to help her when she need it, and I'm sure Koneko will end up just fine."

Reluctantly, I nodded in agreement. I knew she was right of course, still, sitting back and just doing nothing but wait was never my strong point. Even if I knew that was the best thing I could do for her right now.

"Speaking of Koneko." Sona carried on. "I noticed you've been calling her Shirone. Why is that?"

I shrugged in reply, "She asked me to." Which was the truth.

After our talk on the rooftop I thought she'd have wanted everyone to start calling her Shirone. That, however, wasn't the case. Turns out she just wanted me to call her that. I had discovered, to my surprise, that she actually liked being called Koneko. It's just that she wanted to be called by her old name as well.

To her, both of those names were important. They were proof that she was loved. One gifted to her the day she was born, the other given the day she begun a new life. She treasures the both of them and refuses to give either away.

"Now then," I looked back down at Sona, "if you're done stalling, it's time for us to get going."

She tried glaring up at me over her glasses, but it had no more effect on me than it did the other times she had tried. "Did I mention how much I hate jocks?"

"Repeatedly." I cheerfully smiled back.

Bending down over her, I reached out and scooped Sona up around the waist. As I did so, I made sure to pick up her staff from where she had discarded it on the ground beside her.

Even without my Devil enhanced strength to aid me, I would have had no trouble carrying Sona. She barely weighed a hundred pounds, if that. Now this means that there are several ways I could have gone about carrying her.

I could carry her on my back like a child, slung her over both of my shoulders in a fireman's carry or even scooped her up in a bridal carry. As hilarious as the last one would have been, I choose an entire different method instead.

Scooping Sona up by her waist I carried her under my arm, tucking her to my side and under my shoulder. It reminds of how I once saw a parent carrying a misbehaving child, and with the height difference between us we probably ended up looking like that from afar.

"I would like to reiterate." Sona's face remained completely blank as I carried her down the path Shirone took towards school. "I don't hate jocks, I simply loath you so much that my hatred spills over to them by association."

"Sure you do." I grinned back as I made my way around a tree.

She twisted herself around in my grip so that she could glare up at me from where she hung off my side. "You're totally enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yup."

"Still sore about the whole chess thing?"

"Chess?" I repeated, trying to sound oblivious. "Now why would I be sore about that? I only lost to you 127 times in row? Not that I was keeping count anything. Why would I ever need to keep count when I have that giant sign in the Council Room to keep track of it for me?"

"I'll take that as yes then." She grumbled out as I ducked under a low hanging branch.

"Come on Sona. Don't be like that. Remember, you were the one who came to me asking for help."

"The _biggest_ mistake of my life."

"If you feel that strongly about it, I could always ask Serafall to train you instead." The instant the words left my mouth, I felt something clamp around my waist. I looked to find Sona staring up at me in terror with her arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Please, promise you'll never leave me Sensei." Her violet eyes were wide with dread as she desperately pleaded.

I raised a brow at their melodramatics. "Oh come on, she can't be that bad."

"Did she ever try to train you before?"

"Yes," I nodded as I walked around a tree, being careful to make sure Sona didn't bump into anything, "she taught me how to fly."

"And how did that go?"

I barely held myself back from flinching from the memory of that day. When Serafall told me we were going to a place to practice flying I expected for her to take me to a clear empty field or even over a lake, or if she was going to take a more sink or swim approach, to the rooftops at worse.

What happened instead was that I found myself standing on the edge of a cliff with my hands and feet bound tight together. Serafall, called this the 'Toad-Sage' training method. She then proceeded to boot me off the cliff.

The only thing I could remember afterwards was screaming my lungs off as the ground kept steadily getting closer and closer. Then the next thing I know I find myself buried six feet deep in a small crater. Fun-fact, turns out you don't actually end up making a man shaped hole when you crash into the ground.

Since then I made sure to avoid training with Serafall whenever I could. Her explanation, 'but it worked in the Manga' was not enough to convince me to try again.

"And how did that end up?" Sona asked.

"Brilliant," I lied through my teeth as I pushed another branch out of our way, "best teacher I ever had."

"She tossed you off the cliff didn't she?"

"Yes, yes she did." I replied, "There is a reason why I can't fly worth a damn. I take it she's done something like this before?"

"She did the same thing to Tsubasa and Tsubaki. It took me a while to figure out why, but I believe she wanted to teach them how strong a Queen's and Rook's defense can be."

I…never really thought of like that. Putting it that way, it did make a bit more sense. When I dragged myself out of the crater, only to find I hadn't so much as broken a single bone, I was more than a little stunned to say the least.

"Ok, I could see that. But why didn't she just say so?"

"Tell me, by any chance did my sister happen to have a camera on her?"

"Yes...she did." Now that I think about it, I do remember seeing a few flashes of light on my way down. At the time I thought it was the light at the end of the tunnel I keep hearing about so I ignored it.

"That's why. Don't be surprised if you find a few embarrassing pictures of yourself in the family photo album. Why do you think I refuse to even consider letting her train me or my Peerage? Maou knows that I have too many photo of my own in there. I'd even prefer training with that accursed staff than train with her." She then proceeded to glare at said staff. "How are you even carrying that thing so easily?"

"This?" I twirled the staff in my right hand a couple of times, "It's not that hard Sona, it's actually pretty light."

She shot me a deadpanned look, "Shirou, with the amount of magic I poured into it, that thing must weigh at least 200 pounds."

"And for any athletic Devil, that's light." I brought the staff around and whacked her gently on the head. "Not that you would know anything about being athletic, now would you?"

Sona rubbed the top of her head while glaring at me. "This, this right here is why I hate jocks. Muscle brained idiots, the lot of you."

I laughed at her antics as I continued carrying her back to school.

As our conversation died down, I decided to use the opportunity to examine the staff. Raising it up before me, I eyed the runes that was carved into its wood. There were hundreds of them, all linking together to form rings around the staff. Unlike the other runes I've seen before, these were tiny. The largest was barely half the size of my finger nail if that.

Despite how it looked like, these runes weren't there to help channel any spells. Not that Sona needed any help with her spells. While human magicians needed magical foci such staffs or wands to help them channel their magic, Devils could do it entirely with their mind. Any Devil that carried a wand or anything like it did it for purely cosmetic reasons.

But that was fine, the staff wasn't there to help Sona with her spell casting. Its purpose was to serve as a weapon. When Mana is channeled into the runes, they significantly increase the weight and density of the staff turning it into a potentially deadly weapon.

There was a reason why I taught Sona how to fight with a staff instead of a sword when she came to me for training all those weeks ago.

Sona's forte has always been magic, and nothing is ever going to change that. The amount of training she needed to turn into a truly competent swordsman would simply take too much time and be better spent elsewhere. So instead of trying to turn into something she's not, I decided to go with something that would complement her strengths instead.

The reason I gave Sona the staff was twofold. The first was to give her an alternative method to defend herself when her magic is not available to her. One that will not hinder her when she casts her spells. The second was to help her improve her physical condition.

Being a mage is not a good enough reason to slack off from her physical training. Due to her heritage, she has the potential to become truly physically powerful one day. And there is no way I'm going to let that potential go to waste. Swinging around a 200 pound staff an hour or two a day will make sure of that.

And the staff, unlike the sword, can be used in tandem with her spell casting. While it's true that the staff will not strength her spells in anyway, neither will it weaken it. Allowing her to cast as many spells as she want without having to discard or put away her weapon.

All in all, I think it suited Sona quite well.

The sound of fluttering wings filled my ears just as a shadow was cast over me, only for the both to disappear as I felt a familiar weight appear on my shoulder. I turned to find a black crow with a single blue feather over one eye perching on my shoulder.

It was Ingrid, one of the familiars to the Devil guards stationed around the city. Or more precisely, former familiar to the guards. The poor girl lost her partner recently, one of the few Devils that died when the Fallen attacked.

Thankfully for both her and my sake, she and the other crows that lost their partners have already found new ones, my new pawns. Turns out that those four had some kind of affinity to the birds and all of the crows took an instant liking to them.

"So," I began to scratch the top of her head as I spoke, "if you're here I guess that means that those four are here too."

Her nod was all the confirmation I needed. I swear ever since I recruited those guys into my Peerage they haven't left me alone in public for an instant. Every time we step out of the house I could feel them following me.

The only reason why I was able to notice was thanks to the bond between me and Evil Pieces inside of them, even then it was subdued compared to Asia and Xenovia that I had to strain to sense them.

And seeing that Ingrid is here, that means they've followed me to school, again. Who knew that ninja's could be so paranoid? Sometimes it felt that instead of bodyguards they were more like overprotective stalkers.

"I still can't believe you have Fallen in your Peerage."

"What's so hard to believe about it?" I asked Sona as we approached the school. I was starting to catch glimpses of the school's white wall between the trees. "You do know that Akeno used to be a Fallen too right?"

"Half-fallen." She corrected. "There is a big difference between someone who was born and raised as a human, and someone who was created and stood by the side of God before falling from Heaven."

"Point. I take it they're rare then?"

"While I'm not certain it wouldn't surprise me if they turned out to be the first of their kind to be reincarnated. Remember it's only been 200 years since the Evil Piece system was introduced. Considering how little time has passed since its creation, it's not surprising that no one had tried to reincarnate a Fallen into their Peerage before."

It's easy to forget what Sona is at times. There are instances like these, where we chat with each other on our way to school that I feel like she's nothing but another ordinary student. But then she goes and talks about centuries as if they were nothing but a couple a years , and like a bucket of cold water tossed on my face I remember, that she is anything but human.

"Speaking of Peerage, have you reconsidered admitting your newest Knight to the school?"

"No, Xenovia has no interest in attending school. And before you ask, Asia doesn't want or need any schooling either. Don't let her appearance fool you. While she make act like an airhead at times, that girl is scary smart. I wouldn't be surprised if she can sit a medical school graduating exam today and pass with flying colors."

"I see." Though she sounded rather cross, Sona decided to let the issue be. For now at least. I have no doubt that she'll bring it up again.

This has been a small sticking point between us for the last couple of weeks. Sona has always been a strong advocate for formal education. It was probably one of the key reasons why she allowed me to attend here despite the admittedly flimsy excuse I had when I first arrived.

So it didn't come as much of a surprise that she had been trying to get Asia and Xenovia to attend Kuoh Academy ever since she realized that both of them had never been to, let alone graduated from High school. That those two had no interest in attending was irrelevant to her eyes.

While I didn't lie about Asia being capable passing med-school, I neglected to mention that she was unlikely to pass the high school exams. While Asia was highly educated, her education has been a little…specialized. Anything outside of the sciences or medical subjects and she's more than a little bit behind her age group.

However when I asked her if she wanted to attend school, Asia outright refused. As she put it, she's had enough of being trapped in a small room all the time and forced to listen to the commands of old fuddy-duddies who didn't want to be there anymore than their students do.

Xenovia on the other hand was another matter. While she had no particular objection to going to school, she felt that her time was better spent training her swordsmanship and learning about being a Devil than studying mundane subjects like modern literature and calculus. That she was still having a lot of trouble getting a handle on her new sword didn't help either.

And if there had ever been any real chance of convincing Xenovia to go to school, it was gone the moment she found out that Asia wouldn't be attending. To say those two became fast friends would be an understatement. They've been practically joined at the hips since the moment they met.

While Xenovia getting along with Asia didn't come as much of surprise, that she got along with Gasper as well did. Well, sort of. When they first met Xenovia was rather unimpressed by his girly appearance to say the least, and promised to whip him into shape and turn him into a real man.

Gasper was rather enthusiastic with the idea…at least at first. Last time I saw the two of them together, he was running around the house screaming his head off while Xenovia chased after him swinging her sword every time he slowed down. She called this the 'Griselda training method'.

"We're here. Shirou you can put me down now."

Blinking, I looked around to find that we had arrived to the woods' edge.

"Ah, right. Sorry got a little lost in my thoughts there." I turned to look down at Sona. "Are you sure you can make it the rest of the way on your own? You couldn't even stand a minute ago."

"I'm sure I can manage. We're almost to the back entrance, and I'd rather not risk anyone seeing us, no matter how unlikely anyone being here this early."

"Well, if you're sure." I shrugged before gently placing her back down on her feet. She wobbled for a couple of seconds before steadying as she found her balance. Taking a moment to clean herself up, Sona straightened her clothes and whip over the grass that still clung to her, before she adjusted her glasses and began to confidently stride forward.

Only to end up falling flat on her face as her legs gave up beneath her.

I did not even bother trying to hide my smile as I knelt down next to her. "You look like you're having a little trouble there Sona. Are you sure you wouldn't want me to carry you the rest of the way?"

"Just shut up and help me you jerk."

* * *

It was there but for an instant, a flash of colour that was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, disappearing back again into the shifting tides of the crowd. The glimpse I caught of it was too short for me to identify the source. But it was enough, I didn't need a second glance to know who it was. There was only one person I knew who had that particular shade of red.

It had barely been a couple of minutes since the first of the morning classes had ended and already the hallways were jam-packed, filled with the bodies of both students and parents alike. Their footsteps filled the background with a never ending beat, intermixing with the sound of their chatter as they created a symphony of noise that could be found anywhere that large groups of people gathered.

Normally the corridors would have been empty at this time as everyone rushed to get to their next class but in consideration to all the families visiting today, the school decided to shorten the lessons to half their usual time, allowing the parents a chance to interact with their children and their teachers.

I had been walking through the crowds looking for Ilya, my height advantage allowing me to look over the heads of both the students and parents with ease as I searched for her. It was then that I had caught sight of that familiar crimson-red hair.

I didn't bother to confirm my suspicion, there was no way it could have been anyone else, not with my luck. So instead of continuing down the corridor, and closer to him, I turned back around and frantically started to look for a place to hide in.

I knew I had to get away now before he saw me, so when I finally spotted a possible hiding place, I did not hesitate. I lunged for door of the janitor closet, leaping towards it like a hero from some action movie diving for cover, moving as fast as I could without breaking human limits. The moment my hand touched the handle, I yanked it down and pulled the door open before quickly slamming it shut behind me when I slipped in an instant later.

Turning around, I backed away from the door until I hit a wall, making sure to keep both eyes on it, looking for any sign of him coming in after me. However, the door remained motionless, and other than the noise of the crowds spilling into the room and the rhythmic pounding of my heart racing in my chest, I could hear nothing else.

After a tense minute passed, followed by a second minute and still nothing happened, I finally allowed myself to believe I've gotten away. Releasing a breath I didn't even realize I was holding, I relaxed, my whole body slouching in relief.

Still, even though it looked like I got away without being spotted I decided to stay put for the time being. While it was only a small chance, it was better to safely wait here for a little while longer just in case he was still wandering around out there. And it was then, just as I was settling in for the wait, that I noticed that I wasn't the only one in here.

"Yamato-Sensei?" I gaped at my balding chemistry teacher. He was pressing his back flat along one of the walls of the room, squeezing his eyes shut in some apparent childish attempt to remain hidden from view. "What are you doing in here?"

"Emiya?" He opened his eyes and blinked in surprise a couple of times before pushing himself off from the wall and peering blindly around him. "Emiya, is that you?" It took me a moment to realize he was having trouble seeing me in the darkness of the closet.

"Yes, it's me Sensei." I made sure to raise my voice as I answered so that he could tell where I was.

"Oh, thank god." I watched as the normally jolly teacher slumped forward in relief. "Don't scare me like that Emiya. My heart isn't as young as it used to be anymore."

"Sorry Sensei, I didn't know anyone else was in here." And wasn't that the truth. Yamato-sensei was a rather eccentric teacher compare to most but he a good one and well like among the student body. But for all of his oddities I never thought I'd ever find him cowering in a janitor closet. Even for him that was more than a little unusual. "Sensei, if you don't mind asking, what are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and used it to wipe the sweat off his brow. "I'm hiding from Shitori-san."

"Shitori?" That name sounded oddly familiar but I had trouble placing it, and it took me a second to recognize where I heard it before. "Wait, you mean Sona?" I question and the teacher nodded in return.

Shitori was apparently the Japanese version of Sitri. Sona believed it would help her blend in better if she had a native sounding name and altered her clan name so that is both sounded Japanese and can be spelled with Japanese characters.

Still, even though I figured who he was taking about his answer did nothing but confused me even more than I already was. What does Sona have to do with all of this?

"Why are you hiding from – oh!" Catching sight of a brown stain on the front side of his shirt, I started putting the pieces together in my head. "You spilled some coffee on your shirt again didn't you?"

Now things are beginning to make more sense. Sona has always been a stickler for the rules and tended to enforce them with an iron fist. And if what I had seen was anything to go by, she was even stricter with the teachers than students as I had quickly discovered since my arrival. Almost from the very first day I was here I could tell that the teachers were absolutely terrified of her. Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time I've seen a teacher leap in terror into a janitor closet when they see her walking in their direction.

Really though, aren't they taking things a little bit too far? I never understood why they were so scared of Sona. If they wanted to meet a teenage girl they can rightfully feel terrified of I could just introduce them to an angry Rin. Or Ilya for that matter. Sona was a teddy bear compared to Ilya when she has one of her temper tantrums.

"Yes, yes I did. Sitri-san's reprimands are rather harsh on a normal school day. If she spots me like this when there are parents about she'll be furious." He froze for a second, blinking a couple of times before he peered intently up at me. "Hmmm, you must have remarkably good eyes Emiya. It's so dark in here that I can barely even tell you're there but you had no trouble spotting a stain on my shirt. Remarkably good eyes indeed."

This was one of the reasons why Yamato was so well liked. Other than his amiable personality, he was also ridiculously sharp at times. "Chalk it up to good genetics, Sensei. I've always had good eyesight for as long as I could remember."

Fortunately he decided to drop the topic, as he backed off and looked around. "And you? What are you doing in here Emiya? I don't believe it's normal for students to hide in closets, unless it's some kind of new trend that I've yet to hear about."

"Hiding from a family member of one the students. I have a, I guess you can call it an unusual relationship with him and would rather avoid making a scene."

"Say no more my boy, I understand." He nodded knowingly. "I have seen my share of fights break out between students during my time as a teacher, and there is no shame in hiding if it means avoiding trouble."

"Like you're doing right now Sensei?" I pointed out.

Instead of taking offence, Yamato just cheerfully laughed. "Exactly Emiya, exactly. Now, I'll tell you what." He leaned forward and motioned me to the same.

"I'll make a deal with you," he whispered in a quiet voice, even though there was no one in here that could overhear us, "how about we keep this little incident between you and me. You don't tell anyone you found me in here and I'll do the same for you. Deal?"

"Deal." I nodded back, more out of amusement than any real need to keep my presence here a secret.

"Good, good." He cheered out while leaning back. "Now how about we take a look outside and see if our pursuers have left, shall we?"

Yamato then walked up to the door and slowly cracked it open, just an inch, before peeking out through the gap. Apparently finding nothing to be concerned about, he widened the gap and stuck is head out. A moment later he pulled his head back in and turned to me, "Looks like the coast is clear Emiya. I'll be heading on now. I expect I'll to see you in class later on. And remember, keep this just between the two of us."

"I will Sensei. See you in class."

Then with a cheerful wink goodbye he was gone, slipping through the door and blending seamlessly with the crowds outside.

The moment I was sure he was gone and out of hearing range I broke down laughing. Really, it was amazing how many bizarre situations I kept on finding myself in. Sometimes I wonder whether this whole universe had always been this insane or was there just something about me that made the world go crazy the moment I had arrived.

Then again, I don't recall anything like this happening to me before Serafall brought me into this world, so I guess there was just something about this universe that made all of it's inhabitants act crazy.

After the fire, except for my studies in Magecraft, I had a completely normal life until the start of the Holy Grail War, with nothing particularly odd or unusual occurring. Not like my life has been since I got here.

I mean here I have a school filled with Devils and teachers hiding from their students in closets, while back home my old school was completely run of the mill ordinary. It was made up of completely normal teachers and student.

Well, expect for my social studies teacher who turned out to be an emotionless assassin that was trained from childhood to become the ultimate killing machine in human form and had the raw skills to match Servants in combat. And then there was Rin who was the heir for one of the oldest family of magus in Japan and a skilled genius in the art of magecraft to boot, talented enough become one of the greatest magi of her generation.

And there was Shinji of course. And…and…and holy crap it was me! It was me wasn't it? This world isn't crazy, it just happens to go crazy around me. Does this mean that all the insane stuff that's been happening around me is my fault? That normal people don't have to go through all the crap I have to do all time?

I…I don't know how should I feel about that. Does this mean I am some kind of trouble magnet? Or am I just the source of all chaos and madness in the world the same way that Angra Mainyu is the source of all evil? Is that why magical girl Devils and cross-dressing vampires keep popping up, because of me?

Stunned by that revelation, I blankly walked out of the open door of the janitor closet, shutting the door behind as I left the room in pure reflex, and joined the crowds of wandering students. And it was then, lost in my thoughts as I pondered this possibility, that I made my mistake.

If I hadn't been so engrossed in my own thoughts, I might have noticed the footsteps that were quickly approaching me from behind. If only I hadn't been so amused by Yamato-Sensei's behavior I might have realized that he didn't know who I was hiding from and thus could not have possibly known if he was still lurking outside.

But I didn't, and by the time I realized what was happening it was already too late. I was caught.

A pair of arms encircled me from behind, far stronger than limbs had any right to be, trapping my arms to my side as they closed around me before lifting me straight off my feet.

"Queenie!" The owner of the arms called out from behind.

It was a rather cheerful voice, one filled with genuine warmth and joy as it spoke to me. It was also a voice that I learned to utterly _loathe_ over the last several months.

Damn it all to hell. "Hello, Sirzechs." I muttered out in a completely emotionless tone, knowing better than to try and fight his hold. I was so close to getting away too. "Could you please put me down?"

"No," Instead the arms hugged me even tighter, "it's been so long since we've last seen each other and I missed you."

I resisted the urge to sigh, knowing it will just encourage him, and tilted my head back so I could get a better look at him. "I'd tell you to go to Hell Sirzechs but I fear you'd feel right at home there."

"Oh come on," The fully-grown man pouted like a petulant child, but I didn't buy it for second, not with the way his aqua-blue eyes glimmered with amusement, "don't be like that. I know you missed me too."

"Like a heart attack." I deadpanned and, to my growing ire, the Devil just laughed.

This time I did sigh as I resigned myself to my fate. There was no getting away from him now, not when he was in this mood. So instead of fruitlessly continuing my efforts to try and escape, I took a moment to examine the man that was lifting me off the ground in an over enthusiastic hug.

He was tall, topping even my height by at least a few inches. The crimson hair his clan was famed for fell down from his head, ending at his shoulders, giving him a rather noble appearance. Blue eyes shone out from a handsome face, filled with such joy and open kindness that, along with his cheerful smile, made you instinctively want to trust him and smile right back. A thin scar ran down one side of his chin but instead of blemishing his appearance it added to it, giving him a sense of character.

It was hard to believe that this was the face of a Devil. Not when he laughed so openly, but I knew better than anyone what he was. This was Sirzechs, the Lucifer himself. This was the Lord of the Demons and the strongest living Devil, one of the true rulers of the–

"Sirzechs stop pinching my cheek." I muttered out, as my line of thinking was derailed by Sirzechs reaching out and pulling on my right cheek. He stretched it out as if I was a baby, causing my words to come out slightly slurred.

Oh and there is one thing I had forgotten to mention. Despite how much I _loathed_ him, and I made it no secret that I did, Sirzechs _absolutely_ adores me.

"But Shirou," he snickered, "you so look cute when you're thinking like that I couldn't help it."

…I'll kill the bastard.

"There are no words Sirzechs," I calmly began, "not in all the spoken languages of man, nor in heaven or hell, that can adequately describe how much I despise you."

"Ohh~," The bastard cooed, actually cooed at me as he began poking my cheek, "I love you too you little tsun-tsun you."

"…For that Sirzechs, for that, I shall entice your people to rebel against you. Flaming their hatred of the status qua and the injustice of the Underworld, filling their ears with sweet promises of a better future. Once the fires of rebellion has spread far and wide I shall then gather the uprising populace and arm them with weapons out of legends, blades and spears that can topple entire armies. I will then lead them to your castle and there we will tear down its walls, sending them crashing down around you, while marching over the corpses of every man, women and child that stand between you and us when we do. Then as you stand surrounded by the fallen remnants of your broken army, I will topple you from your throne and ascend as the new Maou, the new Lord of all Demons. And then as I look upon your defeated and broken form, after I had taken everything you know and love from you, you will ask me 'why, why did I do this' and I will answer, 'tsun-tsun', before stomping on your balls. Hard."

And instead of cowering in fear and terror from my coming vengeance like he rightly should have, the bastard laughed, breaking down in a fit of laughter instead.

Wrapping his arms around his waist he bent double in laughter, releasing me as he did so. I landed lightly on my feet, and before I had so much as a chance to contemplate escaping I felt Sirzechs drape an arm around my shoulder and pull me in a one-armed hug.

"See, this is why I missed you so much." He wiped a tear from his eyes as his laughter finally began to taper off. "Now, speaking of being missed, I better hurry and get you back to your king. Who knows what she'd do to me if she finds out I've been hogging you to myself."

"You've seen Serafall?"

He nodded, "Of course, we arrived here together after all. As a matter of fact I was just with her until we split up a couple of minutes earlier. Oh, which reminds me." He gave me a friendly pat on the back. "Thanks for telling on us that the class visits were today. While I knew Rias was rather embarrassed having her family visit her in school but I never suspected she'd go as far as lying to us about it. If you hadn't told Serafall the real dates I wouldn't be here today, so thanks for that."

…I really shot myself in the foot with that one didn't I?

"Anyway we need to get going." Giving me a glance over his shoulder as he started walking away. "Knowing Serafall she's not likely to stick to one place for long, so we need to hurry before she disappears."

Giving one last longing look at the janitor closet, crushing my urge to dive back there and hide now that he had his back turned to me, I reluctantly began to follow Sirzechs through the crowd.

Despite how packed the corridor was, we had no trouble navigating through the mass of people. Whether it was due to his exotic appearance, his large build that towered over the average Japanese adult or some deep buried instinct that warned them what he was, the crowd parted before Sirzechs, people instinctively making way as he approached.

However the same could not be said about me. The moment Sirzechs passed by, the crowds surged back together, hindering my progress as I tried to follow him. It was as if I was the Egyptians trying to chase Mosses into the sea only to have the waters close back up around me. I had to stick close to his back if I wanted to avoid being swept up with the crowds.

"You know, I've been meaning to thank you." Sirzechs kept looking ahead as he spoke. It took me a moment to recognize that he had switched speaking from Japanese to Latin of all things, the magic in me seamlessly granting me a native understanding for the language.

"For?" I asked, switching to Latin as well.

"Rias." He answered. "I want to thank you for helping her."

"There is no need to thank me for doing my job Sirzechs. Protecting her was one of the reason you and Serafall sent me here for."

"No, that's not what I meant." He shook his head, still not turning around. "Rias, she's well, she's not like me. Not just her but her entire generation is completely different than mine. Or any generation for that matter.

"We Devils, we have always been living in a time of unending war. We were raised in a world were death and violence was common place. Where we were taught to never get too attached to anyone, so that it wouldn't it hurt so much when the time came to bury them. And the few times that we were not fighting were spent preparing for the next war, so they couldn't rightfully be called peace.

"When I was Rias's age, I was already knew I was going to end up fighting in a war. Knew that I might see all my friends get cut down in the battlefield long before their time. Be it the Civil War or Great War, war was unavoidable reality to me. I had been prepared for it since I could learn how to walk, just as my parents were and their parents before them as well. And that was how it was for everyone. Since the dawn of time itself Devils have always lived either in a state of war or with the threat of it hanging over their heads.

"I remember when I was a child I asked my father how long could a Devil live for. Do you know what he told me Shirou?"

I thought back to my lessons before answering. "If I remember correctly, the oldest recorded age of a Devil is approximately 14,000 years. Add or take a few centuries."

"That's correct, though it's closer to thirteen thousand than fourteen but that wasn't the answer I was looking for. What I wanted to know was our natural lifespans. How long could we live before succumbing to old age?" He shook his head, "My father did not know. He told me that no one did. There is a limit to our natural life-span that much is certain, but no one knows exactly how long it is. That's because there had never been a Devil who got to live out the entirety of their natural life. We were always killed long before our time. Be it on the battlefield or off it, our lives always found their end on the edge of a blade.

"But things are different now. For the first time in our history we are living in an era of peace. For the first time, entire generations of children are born not knowing or living under the constant fear of war. These last 200 hundred years are by far the longest period of time Devils have lived in peace. And it was wonderful.

"Our children are living a carefree and happy childhood, something that was denied to me and all that came before me. Never before could parents love their children so unconditionally and not fear their hearts being broken when the time came to bury them. We were finally allowed to shower them with all the love and affection that our parents could not afford to give us.

"And in the end it made them kinder. The happiness of their innocent childhood has made this generation far more caring and compassionate than any that came before it. And I believe that to be a good thing. While some say it had made them soft, too soft, perhaps that is exactly what our race sorely needs. Our lot has always been a cruel species. Too harsh and uncaring for the fates of others, and look where it has gotten us. Nothing but endless war after endless war. So maybe it is time to try something different.

"Yes, it was good thing, maybe even something wonderful…but it came at a price. One no one had seen coming. Even I could not see it at first, so tiny was the change but with every passing years the truth had only continued to become more apparent. Each passing decade made it a little harder to ignore, until it reach the point that it was impossible for me to deny anymore.

"There was something wrong with our children. Something that is supposed to be there that was missing. A certain fire, a burning hunger that had always been a part of Devil kind as surely as the wings on our back, was gone. Burned out like it was never there. It was then that I truly began to comprehend our folly. That in our efforts to give our children the happiness that was denied us, we took something away from them, something essential.

"Ambition. The new generation of Devils are…_content_.

"They do not hunger for anything, they do not long for anything, and most importantly they do not strive for a better world or even a better future for themselves. They are simply satisfied with their lot in life and content with what they have.

"Without it, it has made me realize that we Devils do not know how to raise our children in a time of peace.

"During the Young Devil's Gathering, the participating Devils are expected to publicly declare their future goal, a single target that is to become their ambition in life. Do you know what Rias answered when I asked her what she planned to say in this year's Gathering?"

I shook my head, before realizing that he couldn't see me, "No idea."

The next thing I know I found my face bouncing off Sirzechs back as he abruptly stops walking.

"She told me she wanted to become the next Gremory Head." He turns around to face me. "She basically admitted that her greatest ambition is life to become something that was already promised to her from the moment she was born.

"And the others her age are no different. Every year we hold Young Devil's Gathering I hear the same thing over and over again. Become the Clan Head, uphold the clans' honor or even something equally asinine such as winning all of their Rating Games." He snorted, "Not sure which is worse, wishing to achieve something that is already given to them or treating the Rating Games, which is supposed to be a simulation for war, as a children's game.

"When the Rating Games was first introduced, people treated it as if their very lives depended on the outcome. Today? They newest generation treats it like a national hobby. They cannot seem to understand what they learn during the Rating Games can save their lives one day.

"Perhaps it is because they have never seen the realities of war that they think this way. Perhaps we protected them too well, sheltered them from too many of life's hardships that they can no longer believe that anything bad can happen to them. Even when we try explaining it to them they fail to truly grasp what we're saying. Intellectually they know that the world is a dangerous place, but emotionally they cannot bring themselves to truly believe it.

"And you can see result of our folly simply by looking at the waning strength of the newly born children. There are less Ultimate-class or candidates with the potential to become Ultimate-Class among the Pure-Blood Devils born over these last 200 years."

"Sirzechs aren't you overstating things a bit?" I interrupted him. "You say Devils are getting weaker then what about Sairaorg? You yourself have said that you never even heard of a Devil become so powerful at such a young age, not since you and Ajuka were kids yourselves."

"Exactly, look at Sairaorg." He nodded triumphantly, as if I had proved his point. "Deprived the happiness the rest of his peers were showered with. Rejected by his father, his birth right stripped away from him and even a mother's loved was denied to him with lady Misla's passing. And what happens? He becomes the strongest Devil in his generation, perhaps the strongest since the birth of the Maous.

"And what is it that separates Sairaorg from the rest of his Peers? Ambition. What was freely given to others he had to fight for? Power that was granted to other children at their birth he had to claw tooth and nail for even the smallest of scraps. The difference between them Shirou, is that he was hungry for it while the others weren't.

"And that is why I want to thank you."

"Come again?" I blinked back in confusion, not even remotely understanding how the topic we were talking led to him thanking me.

"Rias used to be the same as the others, content with her lot in life. But after Kokabiel's attack something's changed."

I snorted. "That had nothing to do with me Sirzechs. Anyone who comes that close to dying would naturally change."

"No, that's not what I meant." He shook his head. "A few days after the attack, Rias came to me and asked me a rather peculiar question."

"And what did she ask?" I prompted him when he paused.

"What it means to be a King."

For a heartbeat I was no longer standing there in that school, the walls of the hallway fading away along noise of the crowds, replaced by fields of never ending green, stretching far father than the eye could see.

She was there, standing right before me. Clad in blue and silver armour, she gazed resolutely ahead, teal eyes locked onto the distant horizon. Hair swaying gently in the breeze, a sword held down before her.

Standing tall and proud, she was the perfect image of a King.

Then the moment was gone, the scenery fading away and I was back into the crowed hallway, the chatter and footsteps of people filling my ears.

"…I see." So that's what she saw in the light of that sword. To think, that out of all things she could have seen, she saw her.

"She's growing Shirou. She finally understands that she is lacking something. That there's something that she needs to gain before she can truly call herself a king. And I have you to thank for that." He held his hand out for me to shake.

I hesitated for a moment, reluctant to even do that much, before I grudgingly reached out and grasped his hand with my own.

He was sincere in his thanks, this I knew for certain. His words held no lies, no deception, just honest gratitude. In fact, I don't think I had ever seen Sirzechs lie, to me or to others. Even the brotherly affection that he treats me with was no act, but genuine.

And maybe, had circumstance been different, I could have learned to like him. With his friendly demeanor and natural charisma it would have been hard not to. Maybe if I hadn't known what he really was, if I hadn't seen him in his true form I would have not hated him so.

But I did.

I saw who he really was, what he really was. I know what lays hidden under that thin veneer of humanity that he wears like a second skin.

And that is why, not matter how kind his smiles are or how friendly his laughs, I never allowed myself to forget that I was shaking hands with a monster.

* * *

"Eh? Aniki! Is that you?" Saji called out in surprise from somewhere behind me. I ignored him, hoping he'd leave me alone in my shame and misery. Unfortunately he didn't. I heard him tentatively approaching me, his footstep echoing off the tiled floor, before halting only a couple of meters away. When he spoke again he sounded more than a little confused, "Umm, Aniki…what exactly are you doing?"

"Face-walling." I answered him, the words coming out more muffled than I would have liked. Though that was only to be expected, seeing as I had my face pressed flat against a wall.

"Oh…Ok." He sounded even more baffled by my response than my actions. "Umm…Aniki, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly are you face-walling?"

"Because sometimes a face-palm just isn't enough." Truer words have never been spoken.

"…Sorry Aniki, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

Lifting my face off the wall from where I had slammed it a minute earlier, I turned around, resisting the urge to kick a snickering Sirzechs as I did so, and pointed straight down the corridor to where a large group of people had gathered. Flashes of light and clicking of shutters made it clear that they were all snapping pictures.

Quickly, before I could catch sight of what they were photographing, I slammed my face back onto the wall. While it did nothing to block out the sounds of what was happening, at the very least it prevented me from witness the event. And by the dead God did I not want to see it happening. My battered Pride can't take the shame of it all.

After another round of a shutters going off, one of the nearby photographers whooped for joy before yelling out, "Yes! I think I just got a panty shot!"

Without command my body reacted. Reinforcing my limbs to the limit, I spun around, projecting a throwing knife into my hand as I did so. Then, with a flicker of movement too fast for the human eye to follow, I threw the knife straight at the pervert's camera.

Needless to say it was a perfect strike, the tip of the blade piercing all the way through the digital and rather expensive looking camera, knocking it out of its owners hand and onto the floor in a shower of sparks and twisted wires.

By the time the camera hit the floor the knife was already gone, dispelled now that its job was complete, leaving no evidence behind on what just occurred.

All this happened in what was less than a tenth of a second.

"Hey! What the hell!" The owner of the now ruined camera dropped to his knees, staring with uncomprehending eyes at what remained of his camera. Gingerly he picked it up, cradling it like a baby, only for it fall apart in his hands, "What happened to it?"

Sweet satisfaction filled me as I watched the pervert morn the destruction of his beloved camera. However any satisfaction I felt quickly disappeared, replaced with regret. Not that I regret destroying the camera, because I certainly didn't, just the consequences of doing so.

By tossing the dagger, I had been forced to look at the direction of where the cameraman stood within the crowd and by doing so I had been giving an unobstructed view of what had captivated the crowd's attention.

And how I wish I didn't.

Twirling the pink wand like a baton, she spun in place, sending her equally pink and white clothing trailing after her. She laughed with utter glee as the flashes of camera erupted like stars about her. Black and pink stripped socks reached up to her thigh where it was met by an indecently short skirt. Her shirt to was too small, ending several inches before her waist, revealing her toned stomach freely to the world.

Her violet eyes glimmered with joy as she continued to pose for her audience. Her long raven locks were tied into twin ponytails, held in place by pink ribbons, and on top of her head rested a pink and yellow hat.

I felt my legs give way beneath me, sending falling down onto my knees in despair, while I continued to watch on. I wanted to look away, I really did, but I could not tear my eyes from the sight. It was like gawking at a scene of an accident or a dead body. Even though you don't want to, there is something so horrible about it that leaves you with no choice but to watch.

This was my King, lord and master. The one who I had willingly surrendered my soul to and by doing so had given her both my eternal loyalty and servitude. Only she had the authority to command my sword. And not for the first time, I had to wonder if Archer ended up getting the better bargain by contracting with Alaya instead. What was an eternity of misery and suffering compared to this?

How can I ever show my face in public again? Maybe Gasper had the right idea all along? I wonder if he still has that paper bag of his and if he was willing to lend it to me?

"Aniki?" Saji walk up to stand next to my kneeling form as he too goggled in disbelief at the sight. "Is that who I think it is?"

"Yes." There was no mistaking Serafall for an ordinary human, not with the amount of power pouring out of her. Even suppressed Saji should have no trouble sensing it. And there is only one person in the entire of the supernatural world that would willingly dress up like that in public. "That is who you think it is."

"You and the others weren't kidding. All this time I just thought you were pulling my leg all those times you said Kaichou's sister was a magical girl." His eyes widened with shock before her cried out. "Holy shit! The Devil really is a magical girl! How did that happen?"

"Believe me Saji," even as I pushed myself back onto my feet my eyes remained riveted on the scene before me, "I've been asking myself the very same thing every day since I became a Devil."

"Saji, what's going on? Why haven't you done anything about this disturbance yet?" A stern and familiar voice called out.

Sona, appearing from just around the corner, quickly began walking towards us with quick effect steps, and unlike the last time I had seen her she had cleaned up considerably. Her hair was straightened out from the tangled bird's nest it had been this morning, free from the grass that had plagued it. Her uniform was even more immaculate than it usually was, so straight and crease free that even a drill sergeant would have trouble finding fault in it.

As soon as she came with easy talking distance Sona began speaking. "Saji, I thought I-"

"So-tan~, found you!" And that was all the warning we had before a pink blur streaked right towards her.

Sona barely had time to widen her eyes in disbelief before she was tackled from behind. She staggered forward for a couple of paces as two arms latched around her, embracing her in a hug. "Hahahaha, at last, at long last I'm back with my So-tan!" Serafall cheered as she rubbed her face on the back of Sona's head, her face filled with nothing but pure bliss.

Sona on the other hand looked anything but happy. Her face had paled, turning stark white, while her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. She stared straight ahead in horror, unwilling to look around, as her mouth kept closing and opening but no words came out. Finally she swallowed before mechanically turning her head to look around behind her, sweat pouring down her face all the while, "O-O-Onee-san?"

"Mou~, So-tan." Serafall pouted at her sister, "How many times must I tell you to call me Onee-chan. Or Onee-sama. Oh or better yet, call me Onee-chama. Yes, Onee-chama would be best." She squealed before burring her face back into Sona's hair.

"O-Onee-sama." Sona flushing, tried to break out of the hold she was trapped in but Serafall was clinging to her tighter than a limpet and wouldn't let go. "What are you doing here? I thought you said you were coming next week."

"I know! Isn't it great that I get to see you so early?" Serafall pulled back a little so she can get a better look at Sona, "And to think I almost missed it thanks to a mistake. Luckily, Shi-chan called me last night to tell me the class visits were today. Isn't that great?"

Sona whipped her head around to me so fast that I wouldn't be surprised if she had gotten whiplash. She shoot me a looked that was filled with complete betrayal, before her eyes narrowed as she began glaring at me. "Yes, great. I'll be sure to properly thank him for it later."

Now why didn't I believe her? Maybe it was the way she was subtly trying to grind my toes into dust with the heel of her shoe. A part of me felt that I kind of deserved it so I let her. Not like it was hurting me.

"Oh, speaking of which, Shi-chan." Serafall, with her hands still loosely wrapped around Sona, turned to me. "By any chances, are they yours?"

"Mine?" I furrowed my brow in confusion as I tried to think of what she was talking about. "Are what mine?"

"These." She cheerfully answered.

Her eyes never left mine as her hand shot out from her side, so fast that it caught all of us by surprise, streaking towards the shadows created by the space between the lockers beside us. A muffled scream could be heard coming from the shadows as her hand latched onto something. She slowly began to reel her hand back, pulling her unwilling victim along with it.

I watched as one of my Fallen-Ninjas was dragged out from the shadow. Serafall's hand was clamped around his mouth, muffling his screams even as he tried to pull away. It was clear he didn't come willingly, struggling and fighting every inch of the way as he was dragged out. He frantically clawed at the hand that held him while he dug his heel into the ground and desperately tried to fight free.

But it was useless, as no matter how much he hard he thrashed or franticly he struggled, he wasn't able to so much as budge Serafall's hand. It was as if he was a child caught in a hand of iron. In fact, she hadn't even bothered to look at him as her eyes remained locked onto mine the entire time.

"So Shi-chan, are they yours?" She asked with an upbeat smile.

How…how did she-! I mean I didn't even realize they were there and she just-!

I brought a hand up to my brow and started rubbing it as I felt my brain threaten to shut down. You know what? Never mind. I had seen Serafall do far crazier things that I deemed impossible so what's one more to the list?

"Yes they're mine." I watched as my pawn continued to ineffectually struggle in her grip, his muffled screams not abating in the lightest. Going by his eyes I believe it was Ramiel but with his face mask in place who can tell. "Now can you please let him go?"

"Sure." She cheerfully replied with a happy smile. But instead of releasing the Fallen turned Devil like I had expected, she turned to look at him before lifting him up until his eyes was level with hers.

"Hush little rabbit." She cooed, the smile she was giving him showed a bit too many teeth to be entirely sincere. Ramiel made the mistake of looking up at her, and the instant his eyes met hers he froze. The Fallen ceased all sign of struggling, his body falling absolutely still, as he stared up at Serafall with wide terrified eyes. He even held his breath, too scared to even breathe.

It was like a prey staring into the eyes of a snake, hypnotic, freezing them still with fear.

"There's a good rabbit." She chucked softly, her smile still in place. Ramiel not taking his eyes off of her for second, not is daring to look away. "Now, I don't like it when someone intrudes in the personal time with what's mine. So be sure to be far, far away whenever I'm around. Understand?"

Ramiel nodded his eyes up and down frantically, unable to move his head while it remained trapped in her grip.

"Good. Now run away little rabbit, run away." She cooed at him as she finally released her hold on him.

Ramiel didn't need to be told twice. As soon as he was freed he scurried away, tripping over his own feet in his haste and panic to reach a nearby open window down the hall. He leapt through it, not even bothering to open his wings in his desperation to get away. I heard a faint distant thump as he crashed onto the ground followed by the sounds of hurried footsteps as he continued to run away.

Turning away from the window, I gave Serafall an exasperated glare who, all in all, looked entirely too pleased with herself.

"Did you have to do that?"

"Mou~ Shirou," she pouted, trying to sound stern, though the effect was entirely ruined by the way her eyes glittered in amusement, "you're far too soft for your own good sometimes. You need to learn how to become a little strict with your peerage. Just like my So-tan here."

Sona just sighed when Serafall reattached herself to her side, not even trying to fight her off as she resigned herself to her fate. She began rubbing her forehead in an effort to stave off a headache, a gesture that I was becoming intimately familiar with myself. "Onee-sama, please don't compare my disciplinary methods to yours. I don't send people fleeing in terror at the mere sight of me after all."

It took everything I had to keep a straight face when she said that. Not five minutes ago I had run into a teacher who had literally leapt into a closet at the mere sight of her. If that's not the pot calling the kettle black then I don't know what is. Like I've been saying, for all of their differences these two are remarkable alike.

"And at least be careful where you do things like that next time. What happens if someone catches you? I don't want to spend all my free time tracking down humans and erasing their memories just because you wanted to have a bit of fun." Sona glanced to where a group of people were gathered at the other end of the corridor. "We were fortunate that no one was watching this time, but next time you might not be so lucky to have such a convenient distraction."

Now that I think about it, she does have a point. Taking a look around us, I found that the entire half of the corridor we were standing in was suspiciously deserted. Other than us Devils, there was no one here. Even the people that were surrounding Serafall moments ago were gone, joining up with the other group in the opposite end of the hall instead of badgering her for more pictures. I could see a several flashes of light as they continued to photograph something in the middle of the group but I couldn't tell what.

"So-tan, you're wrong." Serafall released her sister to twirl her wand. "It's was not luck that saved me but the power of my fellow magical girl and student."

"Student?" Shooting her a wary look, I never heard anything about this. One Serafall is bad enough, I did not want to think about the consequence of her bringing about another one to the world, "Since when did you get a student?"

Serafall didn't get the chance to answer me, she didn't need to, as I ended up discovering the answer for myself. For at that very moment, the crowd began to shift then part slightly, leaving a wide enough gap in their numbers to grant me a clear view of what had captured their attention.

It was a sight that will haunt my dreams for many years to come.

She was dressed up in a pink and white costume, just a shade brighter than Serafall's. She twirled a yellow star-tipped red wand in her hand as the flashes from the cameras erupted all around her like fireworks.

She danced around in thigh high pink boots while her silver hair, adorned with two pink and white feathers, trailed after her. White gloves covered her hands, reaching to her elbows, while on her back rested a silk pink cape stylized to look like wings.

I watched in disbelief as Ilya, my lovable cheerful and only occasionally homicidal little Ilya, danced around in a magical girl costume while her audience cheered her on. Her red eyes gleamed like ruby under the light of the flashing camera as she laughed like a child that she appeared to be.

Oh no. Oh by the dead god no, please don't let it be true. Please don't tell me that...that...

_Ilya had become a magical girl!_

* * *

***Story End***

****Author's Notes:****

Yes, yes I did it. I turned Ilya into a magical girl. Honestly, what did you expect after leaving her alone with Serafall for two months.

Now, after receiving a PM that suggest I get one, I decided to start up a Forum, one than I'll open after I post this. Why a forum? Well partly because I believe it will help me in my writing, partly because it will allow me to answer some of the question people have about the mechanics of the world, and mostly because it sounded like a lot of fun to do. So be sure to pop in. (link on profile page)

Oh, and the official mascot of this story is the dreaded Wigglebut. All hail Miss Peanut Wigglebut. Somehow I know that she's going to end up as crowd-pleaser. And poor Shirou, will Asia ever stop giving him headaches?

And what did you think of Shirone's new personality. When I looked through the future volumes of DxD (I've read up to volume 4 btw before I simply couldn't read any more), I was disappointing by how badly her character development. After her arc her personalty got completely ruined, everything about her character got changed and not for the better. Silent Kuudere characters like her need to having something going under the hood for them to be truly interesting (think Yuki Nagato) and so I decided to revamp her character into what I thought was her true personality. Did you like it?

Oh, about how Canon states that Devils don't train, I call BS on that. It literally makes no sense. For a culture were power equal rank there is no excuse for everyone not to train. They could just order their Peerage to train while they sit back and do nothing if they wanted to. I think that the author needed an excuse for why the main characters could win fights that they had no right winning so he just made this up as an excuse.

And...that's about it. I'll leave the rest of what I have to say in the next chapter.

So tell me what you thought of the chapter (Did you laugh? How did all the new characters like Sirzechs turn out?) and be sure to check out the forums.


	14. Chapter 14: This is Serafall - Part 2

**Author's Notes:**

Now I'd like to add one quick thing before we start. Looking over the comments from the previous chapter it seemed that many people seemed to associate comedy with unimportance, lack of development or even crack. It's not. Just because something is light hearted doesn't necessarily mean that there isn't something meaningful happening. Just because it makes you laugh doesn't that there isn't some serious implications, some of it dark. You'll see it if you look for it. Just remember that I wouldn't make a character act out of character (at least my interpretation of them in this AU) just for a joke (that's what Omake is for).

Oh! A lot of answers to questions will be answered in this chapter, so this your last chance to figure things out before the mysteries get revealed.

Well that's all I have to say, so let get on with the chapter. I have been looking to writing this chapter for a while and I sincerely hope you all enjoy it.

***Story Start***

* * *

This is Serafall – part 2

No…no, No! No-no-no-no-no-no-no no. No, no! Just no. This can't be possibly happening. There is no way this is real. How? How could this happen? What could have possibly possessed Ilya into becoming a magical girl! She sure as hell wasn't like that when I left her with-

-_Oh_.

"_Woman_." I growled out as I turned to Serafall, the only one who could possibly be responsible for this. "_What-did-you-do_?"

Serafall, showing not even the slightest hint of remorse, shot me a wicked grin, "The Will of the Serafall conquers all."

"What does that even mean?" I asked in frustration. "When I left her with you Ilya was completely normal. And now, and now she's a…a…" I couldn't even say it.

"A magical girl." Sirzechs added helpfully from where he stood off to one side. He clearly intend on staying out of the way and just watching how things unfolded. And going by the amused smile he was wearing, he was enjoying himself immensely.

"Yes, that." Too out of it to even spare Sirzechs a glare as I began to deal with the revelation of my sister becoming a magical girl. I swayed back on my feet as the realization finally began to truly dawn on me. "Oh my dead God, my sister is a magical girl."

A comforting hand on my shoulder helped steady me as my mind reeled from the shock. I turned to find Sona giving me a look that was filled with just as much compassion as it was pity.

"Welcome to the club brother." Her voice was as solemn as I had ever heard it before, as she gave my shoulder a supportive squeeze. "Being related to a magical girl is no easy thing and it is a life full of hardships. It is not a burden we asked to carry but it is one that we must nevertheless bear for there is no running away from it. Trust me I tried. And while I wish I could tell you things will turn out ok, that things will get better with time that would be a lie. The only advice I can give is to abandon all your dignity now, before she takes it away from you and forces you to watch as she sets it on fire."

The hallowed and haunted eyes she look out at me with, something that I had only seen on the faces of veterans from the bloodiest of wars, told me that she meant every word she said. And not for the first time since I arrived in this world, I began to genuinely fear for my future sanity.

Would I end up looking like that in time?

"_Onii-chan!_" Whatever other morbid thoughts I might have had was put to an abrupt end when a pink and white missile tackled me from the side. I reflexively wrapped my arms around Ilya as I fought to stay on my feet, having almost been knocked onto the floor by the force of her charge.

"Onii-chan~, found you!" She cheered as she nuzzled her face into my side.

For the first time, I found myself drawing a blank when I tried to think of what to say to Ilya. Or is it magical girl Ilya now? Oh hell, please someone tell me she isn't going to start her own show too?

"Ilya," gently pushing her away by her shoulder until she stood before me, "what are you wearing?"

"Can't you tell Onii-chan?" She tilted her head up at me while flashing me something that was a cross between an innocent smile and a knowing smirk. A part of me began to suspect that she was enjoying my reactions just a bit too much. "It's a magical girl costume of course."

She took a step back before spinning in place to better show it off, her skirt flaring as she did so, before ending her spin in a curtsey. She rose up and held her arms wide open, giving me a clear look at her costume, "Onee-chan gave it to me. Isn't it great?"

"…Yes." No matter how hard I tried to hide it, the edge of my smile wouldn't stop twitching. "It's…wonderful."

"…Onee-chan?" I turned to find Sona with an indecipherable expression on her face. She was standing up a little bit too straight to be casual, her posture far more rigid than normal. She turned to Illya, her movements rather stiff, almost mechanically, before asking, "Did you just say _Onee-chan_ gave it to you?"

"Hmm?" Ilya cocked her head at her, "Yes, Serafall-Onee-chan gave it to me. Why, is that a problem?"

"…No, not at all." Sona stood oddly still for a long while, staring blankly at Illya who stared back in turn while wearing a smile that was a little too innocent for me to completely trust.

My eyes kept jumping from one to the other as I sensed that something was going on between the two of them that I was entirely missing but for the life of me I had no idea what it was. And when they continued to silently stare at each other, one with a blank face and the other with an unrelenting smile, and did nothing else I began to get worried.

Just as I decided to intervene, Sona acted.

"It seems that our sisters are getting along well together." She turned to me, with a wide and jubilant smile on her face. "Isn't that great Shirou-Nii-chan?"

….what the _hell_?

The wide and clearly unnatural smile on Sona's normal stern visage was so disturbing that I'm not ashamed to admit that I took an involuntary step back away from her. Sona ignored my reaction and actually took a step forward as she continued to smile up at me.

***Snap***

A loud, resounding crack reverberated throughout the hallway as the red and star-tipped wand that Ilya held was crushed, snapped in two like a pencil in her grip. At first I was surprised, I knew how durable those wands were and I didn't know that Ilya had anywhere close to enough strength to even dent one, but when her smile began to turn into something far sharper my surprise turned to alarm as bells began ringing in the back of my brain, screaming at me to do something _now_.

Fortunately someone decided to step in.

"Could it be," Serafall stepped forward, the hand she held in front of her mouth did nothing to hide the utterly delighted smile she was wearing, "is my little So-tan by any chance _jealous_?"

"What! No!" Sona's face flushed a bright red as she turned to face Serafall, frantically waving her hands before her in denial as she did so, "Why would I be jealous of her calling you Onee-chan-"

Her hands quickly clamped over her mouth, cutting off the rest of her words, while her eyes widened as the realization of what she just said sunk in but it was already too late. The damage was done.

Serafall's eyes practically twinkled likes stars while her smile grew so large that it seemed to take half of her face. "Oh So-tan, you never need to be jealous. You'll always be number one in my heart. I promise."

"That's not what I meant!" She wailed. Sona quickly began looking around in panic as she felt the eyes of everyone in the hallway, Devils and humans alike, on her. "I swear I didn't, I'm not jealous."

"Geez, there is no need to be shy." Serafall walked towards her with her arms held open, her smile not diminishing in the slightest. "Now come, jump into your beloved Onee-sama's arms."

Sona's eyes kept frantically jumping all around the room, her face flushing even redder and tears were building up in her eyes when she realized that none of us believed her denials. That and the slight snickering of the gathered crowd was the final straw that broke the last of her composure.

"I-I-I…" her eyes were filled with tears as turned and ran away sprinting down the corridor. "Onee-chan I hate you!"

"No wait, come back. Onee-chan's Sorry."

I watched, not for the first time, as Sona ran away in tears while an apologetic magical girl chased after–huh? Wait a second, where did Serafall go?

Two arms appeared from behind, wrapping around my waist and pulling me into a tight hug. I could feel a face press itself into the middle of my back as I was embraced from behind.

"Serafall?" I asked, cranking my head around to try and get a better view.

"Just give me a second." A muffled voice responded. So I stopped my struggling and let her be. And as promised not a few seconds later she let me go.

"There, recharge complete!" She clenched her hands and cheered. She brandished her wand before pointing it straight down the corridor like a lance. "Now, let the hunt begin. Charge~~~! Kayahahahaha."

Serafall began cackling like a maniac as she ran down the corridor after her sister and soon started yelling out to her. "Sona wait! I'm sorry, Onee-chan won't do it again. Please come back!"

I watched in complete bemusement as Serafall disappeared around the corner, yelling out apologies all the while. The sound of her footsteps kept receding until they disappeared entirely only a few seconds later, leaving the corridor feeling oddly empty now that they were gone.

Realizing that the show was now over the crowd started to disperse, and not a minute later I found myself alone with Ilya, a thoroughly entertained Sirzechs and a shell-shocked Saji who didn't looked like he would be snapping back to normal anytime soon.

"Neh, neh Onii-chan." Ilya said as she insistently tugged on my sleeve. I turned to look, only to find her wearing a smile so sincere and open that I was immediately on my guard. "So, tell me about all these girls I've heard you've started living with."

…Oh Shit.

* * *

It fluttered its crystal like wings, blue light reflecting off its frozen feathers, slowing it's descent before softly landing on Ilya's wrist.

The synthetic falcon cocked its head side to side from where it rested on its new perch, scanning its surroundings with dead eyes that nevertheless still shone with something that might have been mistaken for intelligence were it not for the hollow coldness in them.

Still, with every passing second I found it harder to believe that it was not alive. It's every motion was so natural and life like, even down to the smallest details like the ruffles on its feathers that was pat down perfect, that had I not seen it constructed from nothing but ice and magic before my very eyes I would had no trouble believing it to be real.

However well it was made, it doesn't change the fact that Ilya had just cast magic in the middle of a hallway filled with ordinary people.

"Ilya!" I hissed, taking a step forward to block the sight of her, and the falcon, from view. "What are you doing?"

"Calm down, Onii-chan." Not even sparing me a glance as she stroked the falcon's chest, causing the bird to preen under her attention, "They can't see it."

To my surprise I found she was right, no one was looking at us. Or at least, no one was looking at the falcon. Ilya had been receiving her share of stares for a while now, understandable seeing as she was still wearing her magical girl costume, but no more than had before.

I looked down at her, then at the bird that had actually began cheeping as she scratched what appeared to be sweet spot under it's beak, "Illusion?"

"Yup, it's a pretty delicate one too." She turned to look up to me, the bird cooing in disappointment when she stopped her scratching. "It's so light that anyone with even the slightest bit of magic resistance will be able to see through it with ease."

"I'm impressed." And I was, she was nowhere this capable when we last met. Illusion was one of the more intricate fields of magic, and even Devils had trouble learning anything outside of the very basic spells. "I can't do anything near as advanced."

"Shirou, this isn't advanced at all. It's actually rather simple." She laughed a bit teasingly at me, "Then again, not all of us have a head filled with swords all the time so it can't be helped."

"Hey, I-"

"20,000 Yen." A yell echoed down the hall, cutting me off and interrupting our conversation. "Please Issei, it's all I have."

Pouring out from one of the nearby classrooms, a group of students emerged, yelling and clamoring over one another as they surrounded a boy who I quickly identified as Issei. He was hunched over something, protecting it from their frantic clawing hands, ignoring the handful of money that some of them were thrusting at his face while he tried to break away from the mob.

"I'll double it!" A girl, one of the few in the group made up almost entirely of boys, yelled out. Her eyes had almost a fanatic look to it as it gazed at the object held in Issei's hand. "40,000, all of my savings. None of you boys would know how to treat Onee-sama's body right anyway."

"Fine, 50,000 then." A shaved head boy yelled out, "I'll give you 50,000 Yen! I'll sell all of my DVD collection to get the money if I have to. Come on Issei, I'm your friend aren't I? You got to sell it to me."

A second, far more sedated group of people followed the rowdy students outside of the classroom. Dozens of shamefaced parents trailed behind their children, too mortified by their behavior to do anything but lower their head in embarrassment.

"Never!" One side of the crowd budged before parting, as Issei pushed his way through the mass of people with nothing but brute force. The instant he was clear of their grasping hands, he turned and sprinted down the hall, yelling over his shoulder as he did so. "Buchou's body is mine! I'll never let you have it."

The remaining students chased after him, breaking into a run to catch up to the boy, yelling offers and promises all the while, leaving their disheartened parents behind.

It was then that something caught my attention.

From the recently vacated classroom, lagging farther behind the others, a pair of parents emerged. The mother, a well-dress woman wearing a formal pink skirt and jacket over a white blouse, held her face in her hands as she moaned. "We'll never have grandchildren will we?"

However it was the father that had captured my attention. Despite being dressed up in a brown suit, he was a scruffy looking man. His tie hung loosely around his neck while the top of his shirt was unbuttoned. A small and scruffy patch of hair grew from his chin, too small and light to be called a beard. His frame was lanky, his limbs skinny, a body that clearly had not seen any exercise for a while.

All in all, he looked like an average salary man. Something that was a common sight in every city in Japan. Even the glasses that he wore over his brown eyes were of typical design. He would have blended into a crowd easy enough with nothing about his appearance differentiating him from the rest. Except for one thing.

He only had one arm.

The sleeve of his left jacket lay empty, hanging listlessly by his side.

The man wore an appreciative smile as he stroked his chin. "I don't know," he said as his face took a contemplative expression. "I mean have you seen that model? It's was a masterpiece I tell you."

He cupped his hand in front of his chest, bouncing it in a manner that left no doubt to what he was talking about. "Especially here, have you seen the size of those Br- AHH!"

He yelped out in pain when his wife stomped on his toes, causing him to hop in place as he cradled his injured foot.

"We'll never have grandchildren I tell you." His wife, still not lifting her face, moaned into her hands.

She ignored her husband even as he continued to hop around cussing in pain, "Then again," She raised her face, her eyes glinting, "I ended up marrying you. So maybe there's still hope, there could be another idiot like me out there."

With a determined nod she reached out and snatched her husband's hand, dragging him after her as she marched ahead, ignoring his protests. "Come on, let's start searching."

"For what?" The man asked as he hopped along.

"An idiot. It's a school full of teenagers, there must be hundreds of them here. All we have to do is find the right kind."

Just as she was about to drag her husband past me, his eyes met mine and he caught me staring. It hit me how rude I was behaving but before I could even think of apologizing, he flashed me a knowing smile followed by an understanding nod, and then he was dragged past me before I could respond.

It was not the first time I had seen an amputee of course, not by a long shot. Not with a neighbor like Raiga-Ojii-san who had more than a handful working for him at times. But for some reason I was caught off guard seeing Issei's father like that.

"I don't get it." Ilya stared uncomprehendingly after the last of the running students, "Why all that trouble over nothing but a doll? It's didn't even have any cloths on it. Don't they know that even the cheap dolls they sell in stores come with clothing?"

"I have no idea." I answered, staring after the fleeing group myself, "As much as I'd like to say it's due to puberty, no one in my old school acted like-"

I was cut off _again_, this time by the school bell going off, signaling the start of class. Around me, some of the loitering students began heading to class, more often than not with their parents tagging along after them.

Instead of following their example I decided to ditch class entirely. In a day like this I doubt the teachers would really care, and honestly at this point I was beginning to regret enrolling in the school. Despite enjoying the company of some of my fellow students, the classes themselves were the problem. They weren't even remotely engaging. Not due to the teachers but rather simply because I already learned the majority of what they were trying to teach, and the few topics that I wasn't familiar with I simply had no in interest in.

It reached the point where I was tempted to drop out of school entirely and simply join Asia and Xenovia in whatever they have been doing during the day. The only thing that's stopping me is the risk of another attack happening when I wasn't here, a small but realistic possibility. Not to mention having to deal with the inevitable fallout when Sona finds out I dropped out after all but strong arming her into letting me join the academy.

So after waiting for the bell to finally stop ringing, I turned to resume my talk with Ilya only to find her smirking knowingly up at me.

"What?" I asked defensively.

"Oh nothing," her smirk still firmly in place, "I was only wondering why you weren't heading to class."

"I'm not going. Ditching one class isn't going to hurt me, particularly when it looks like the teachers aren't even going to try to teach us anything today." And I knew I said the wrong thing when her smirk only grew wider.

"Really~? But you seemed so enthusiastic about getting to class last time."

Never before in my life had I ever been more grateful for the sound of the school bell when Ilya had begun to question me about Asia, Xenovia and even Gasper and Shirone living in my house, despite the latter not technically living with me and the former being a boy. Her reply of '_shotacons are a real disease'_ reminded me to add another mark to the very long list of topics I had to discuss with Serafall about what she was teaching Ilya when I wasn't around.

Nor have I ever run faster to class before. I had honestly been intending to ditch most of the lessons of the day once I found Ilya, but if I had a choice between spending my time in a boring class or to spend it with Ilya when she was in one of _those_ moods the choice was easy. _Hooray _for education.

After the lesson had ended and I found her waiting for me outside of the classroom she seemed to have dropped the topic. For now at least, I was under no delusion that she had forgotten about it. Ilya was many things but merciful she was not. The girl knew how to hold a grudge better than anyone else I knew.

"Speaking of classes," I frantically tried to change the subject, "how did your Middle-Class Devil examination go?"

To my surprise it actually worked, Ilya's appearance turned to one of a genuine excitement. She spun around and began walking backwards as we made our way down the corridor.

"I passed it, it was so easy too. Those examiner tried to make such a big deal about how hard and difficult the exam was and how much of an honour it was for me to even take it at such a young age but the moment I showed them my magic they ran away screaming. They even promised to give me a pass for the rest of the examination if I'd just go away."

"Ilya. What did you do?" Even though I was almost positive that I didn't want to know the answer, it had to be asked.

"Nothing I swear." And going by the confused look on her face she honestly believed that. "I just summoned one of my puppets to prepare for my test. I didn't even command it to do anything, it just stood there, but the next thing I know I looked around to find every single examiner cowering in one corner of the room begging me to make it stop."

I turned a skeptical eye on the tiny bird that had at some point leapt onto her shoulder and appeared to have fallen asleep, tucking its head underneath one of its wings. "That little guy was able to make High-class Devils cower in terror?"

"Oh no, I didn't summon Pala here." She replied while cheerfully rubbing her cheek against his sleeping form, "I really wanted to impress them so I decided to go with something a little bit bigger, the best puppet I got."

"Something a little bigger? Ilya, what did you summon- no, wait don't tell me." I held up a hand as my common sense finally kicked in, "I don't think I want to know." I've had more than my share of surprises for one day. Finding out about whatever insanity she decided to summon can wait for another time, like when I was dead and buried so I wouldn't have to worry about my heart stopping from the shock of it.

"Speaking of getting a little bigger, have you been growing taller again?" While it was barely noticeable, for someone who hadn't grown at all in years even the smallest change made a large difference.

"Yup," She puffed her chest out and crossed her arms with pride as if she had achieved some kind of incredible feat. "Two full inches in total now."

Two inches, a difference in height so small that for anyone else it would be negligible but for her, who had a body that could never grow, it was a miracle.

Even though she no longer had an Evil Piece in her, the effects from her reincarnation remained. She had a new body, one that was neither a homunculus nor a human but a Devil's, free from the defects of her old one.

Though it was rarely done, the Evil Piece could be removed. Once reincarnated the transformation is permanent, and not even the absence of the Evil Piece would cause Ilya to revert back to her old body. However without the Evil Piece to provide them with Prana, Reincarnated Devils are simply not capable of generating the necessary energy to support their new bodies and will eventually fade and die as a result. Often in as little as a few short days, faster if they exert themselves.

That is why when Evil Pieces are removed, it is only ever done on older and powerful Reincarnated Devils, those whose magic system has developed and grown strong enough since their reincarnation to support themselves without aid. The amount of Prana needed to fully support even the weakest body of a Devil is so high that it is believed to be beyond the capability of even the most powerful of human mages.

It was fortunate then that Ilya was not a human but a homunculus. A homunculus that was capable of generating dozens if not a hundred times more Prana than the average human mage. It is the greatest of ironies that her status as a homunculus, something that had caused nothing but suffering in her past life, was the very thing that allowed her to roam and live freely here.

It was then, as I watched Ilya discover that she was growing that I knew for certain, that I had made the right choice all those months ago. Wearing a fragile look of uncertain hope on her face, along with a thing that was too hesitant and uncertain to be truly called a smile, as if she was too frightened to hope for fear of only having it snatched away again, not able to believe that after years of resigned acceptance of her demise, that she may finally be allowed to live. It was as I watched how the fragile smile grew more solid with each passing week, growing more certain with every month until it blossom and turned to carefree one it became today, that I knew it had been worth it.

To protect such a smile, all I had to do was sell my soul to the Devil.

Given the choice I'd do it all over again.

Serafall had kept her word all those months ago. In exchange for my soul she had saved Ilya's life by resurrecting her as a Devil, using two of her Bishops pieces only to have them removed as soon as Ilya's body had stabilized.

While Serafall was many things, a trickster and prankster and much more, a liar she was not. It was only my soul that was bargained away, not Ilya's, so she had only taken what was promised to her and nothing more.

It was better this way. Not only had Serafall not wanted to add another member to her Peerage, but neither did any of us want Ilya to have to bear the burden of becoming a part of a Maou's Peerage. She had enough of dealing with unwanted responsibilities in her old life, in this one I just wanted her to live happy and carefree, something that she never gotten to experience in her old childhood. Not since the Fourth War.

Maybe later that can change, not now but when she's older. There is a reason why I made sure to keep my only mutated piece, a rook, in reserve just in case. But that's for the future. For now I plan to let her roam free for as long she needs to.

"_W-Whaa_~", my hand shot out to Ilya just as she tripped, letting out a squeak of surprise as she pin-wheeled her arm in a desperate attempt to regain her balance. I caught her wrist just before she fell over, pulling her up and lifting her off her feet.

"And this Ilya," I said, setting her down on the ground again as I did so, "is why we don't walk backward."

"Mou~ Shirou. Don't treat me like-" Ilya puffed her cheeks at me, making her look like a chipmunk as she complained, only to stop halfway in her tangent as she caught sight of something behind me. "Shirou, what's that?"

I turned to around to look at what she was pointing at, only to instantly regret my decision.

Gasper, in spite of my best efforts, had been refusing to leave the house. While he had been beginning to open up to his fellow house-mates, he was downright terrified of setting so much as a foot outside.

It wasn't that he was anthrophobic, though that was certainly a part of the problem, it was because he was afraid of hurting someone. He, more than anyone, was aware of how dangerous his Sacred Gear could be. And with abysmal control he has over it there is a real chance he could accidentally end up hurting someone. All he needed to do was glance at a car driving on driving on the highway and he risked causing a pile up. So while he was beginning to leave his room and interact with others, he was still more or less a shut-in.

That was partly my fault as well, for in my efforts to make him comfortable in his new home I might have done a bit too good a job of it and made him so comfortable that he didn't want to leave. He had everything he owned in his old room transferred to his new one - and for some reason I cannot understand he insisted in moving into the basement – and now that he had some people he could interact with he saw no reason to venture outside.

While I had been working on a solution for the _Forbidden Balor View_ I haven't made any real progress. I was no Sacred Gear expert, and unless if Azazel ends up conveniently walking in on us and decides to help us on a whim, an unlikely prospect at best, there was no way I was going to find one to help us.

The only solution I could discover was nothing more than a stopgap measure at best. By covering almost his entire body in metal plates engraved with seals, I could temporarily force his Sacred Gear remain dormant without harming him in any way.

Unfortunately not only where the metal plate bulky, making him look like a tin-man, it was also eye-catching which was naturally a problem for someone as painfully shy as Gasper. To top it all off, the seals will only function for a few hours at most before fading, and then his Sacred Gear will activate again.

All in all it was not a realistic solution. And though I kept on searching, it honestly looked like that Gasper wouldn't be leaving the house for the foreseeable future.

It was only when I heard the normally well-behave and polite Gasper cussing like a deranged maniac as he was playing one of his video games that I came up with a solution.

With the combined efforts of myself and Gremory, we were able to convince Gasper to leave the house and come to school at least for this one day. We were even able to force Sona to bend the dress code this one time. The hard part was getting Gasper to walk out in public instead of hiding in the clubroom, and after many hours of pleading we were able to come to an agreement.

This was our compromise.

It approached us on heavy feet, the sound of its footstep echoing through the corridor as it boots beat against the tiled ground. Ever motion was accompanied with the sound of rattling plates as he stalked through the crowd, who willingly cleared a path at his approach.

Metallic plates covered the majority of his body except the face, where a burnt-orange visor masked his features from view. The gaps between the armour plates were covered in black, hard looking material that flexed along with his movement, not obstructing or hindering him at all. An assault rifle, which had I not crafted it myself I may have wondered if it was real, was gripped tightly in his hands while his head moved from side to side as he made his way to us, his visors reflecting a distorted image of the world around us.

It was an armour that was known and welcomed all over the world. Something out of modern tales and legends brought to life.

I had to cover my eyes with a hand to block out the sight of the armour as I felt nothing but regret fill me for the part I played in this travesty.

"Gasper." I called out to him as he neared us.

He halted with near military precision just as he was about to walk past me. Without moving his body his head swirled towards me until I found myself staring into my own image reflected on those visors of his.

"Sir?" Despite his attempt to deepen his voice, it was still rather high pitch and I could easily identify it as Gasper's.

"Gasper-" I began only to be cut off.

"Master-Chief." He interrupted.

"What?" Baffled, I asked.

"My designation is Master-Chief, Sir." He clarified with utmost seriousness.

I found myself staring at my own incredulous face as it was reflected on his visors. I knew that Gasper tended to take his video games a little too seriously but wasn't this going overboard even for him? But nevertheless I decided to humour him. "Master-Chief."

"Yes Sir?"

I tried to force myself to look him over but had to quickly avert my eyes. "What are you wearing?"

"A MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour, Sir!" He answered, banging a fist on his chest as he did so.

"I know what it is Master-Chief, I built it." I rubbed my eyes, trying to erase the stinging sensation it was feeling. "What I meant was, why is it pink?"

There standing before me, the once forest green armour plate that I had finished creating just a day earlier was now painted a bright neon pink.

"…Because it's cute." Gasper replying in his normal voice.

"You know what? Never mind. I don't really care anymore." I waved him off with one hand while I used the others to rub my eyes, "I'm already numb from everything I've been through today. I don't think anything can faze me any more. Just be warned if you run into some die-hard fans they me be just a tad upset."

"Then they can kiss my titanium covered, certified Spartan ass, Sir!" He barked while cocking his gun.

"Carry on then."

"Thank you Sir!" He barked out. He swirled his head forward again before announcing. "Time to kill some Covenant scum."

Gasper began to march forward, a confident swagger in his steps that I could not have ever imagined seeing from his normal self. The crowd parting at his approach before closing behind him and hiding him for my sight.

"You know Shirou," Ilya blinked in confusion as she stared after Gasper, "I thought I saw a lot of weird things when I starred in your show but this was something else."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." I rubbed my forehead, "As weird as things get sometimes Gasper is a league of his…wait." I levelled a suspicious gaze at Ilya when I noticed something very wrong with that last statement, "What did you just say?"

Ilya cocked her head in confusion "…but that was something else?"

"No, not that part." Shaking my head, "Before that, I thought I heard you say something utterly insane."

"…I saw a lot of weird things when I starred in your show?" She obediently replied, still looking perplexed.

Yes, I was right, it was utterly insane.

"…My what?" I deadpanned.

"Your show." She repeated, giving me a look that she usually reserved for when I did something unusually stupid. However when I keep shooting her a deadpanned stare her eyes widened in comprehension, "You mean you don't know? Shirou, how can you not know about your own show? It's a huge hit in the Underworld."

"How can I even have a show if I don't even know about it?" I countered, "Hell, how can I have a show if I'm not starring in it?"

"Well," Ilya traced circles on the floor with her foot while she avoided looking me in the eye, a habit she had recently developed whenever she's done something wrong, "it's not really _you _who's starring in it but the other you."

"That explanation made so little sense that I'm even more confused than when we started."

"Here, I'll just show you. It's easier that way." She held a hand out and a summoning circle appeared over it before a tablet computer dropped out of it and onto her hand. I walked up to stand beside her and looked over her shoulder as she messed around with the tablet until a video clip started playing, "There, this trailer should explain everything."

At first I found myself staring into a blank screen but before long, words written in a white font appeared accompanied by a gruff voice.

_**I am the Bone of my Sword**_

For the second time that day I heard my Aria spoken by someone other than myself.

On the screen the black backdrop was replaced by a red desolated landscape littered with nothing but swords as far as the eye could see. Black boots appeared on the screen as someone strode forward, slowly revealing the form of a white haired man dress in a crimson red coat. The scene was accompanied by some background music, a peculiar mix of wordless vocals and instruments.

_**Steel is my Body and fire is my Blood**_

Oh no, I was wrong. It's wasn't my Aria that was being spoken. It was worse. This was _Archer's_.

The rest of the clip rolled on, playing the rest of the Aria and showing Archer as he traveled from battlefield to battlefield, fighting monsters and rescuing people only to end up being hated by those he saved. Yet still he carried on, uncaring for praise or scorn – accompanied all the while by a familiar white hair magical girl as his plucky side-kick.

_**So as I Pray, Unlimited Blade Works **_

As the final scene, Archer going down on one knee as he prayed, finally began to black out and be replaced with the show's title, a voice came announced:

_Come watch the season's biggest hit, a tragic tale of a hero who follows his ideals only to be betrayed by it in the end. It is a show filled with adventure, action, romance, tragedy _and magical girls! – The last bit was added by an excited voice the sounded suspiciously like Ilya's.

Unlimited Blade Works – Episode 1: The Hype is Real.

May the Gar be with you!

The screen blanked out as we finally reached the end of the trailer. Setting the tablet down, Ilya excitedly turned to face me.

"Well, do you like it?" She asked, "We even got a famous musician to write your theme song. We're calling it '_Emiya'_." Her enthusiasm however imminently dampened when she took a look at the blank expression on my face. When she carried on speaking there was a clear note of trepidation in her voice. "Well, what do you think?"

What do I think? I think Archer is going to kill me. No I mean he'll literally kill me. Forget wishing for salvation, forget trying to escape his existence as a Counter-Guardian, if he every finds out about this he'll dedicate the rest of his existence into hunting me down and ending me. I have no doubt that in the next Holy Grail War he gets summoned to, he'll abandoned his goal of killing his past self and simply slaughter everyone between him and the Holy Grail in a bloody frenzy and when he lays his hands on it he would wish himself into this dimension all so that he could get the chance to kill me.

And honestly? I don't blame him, because at this moment I knew without a doubt that I ended up getting the better bargain when I sold my soul.

"So?" My attention was dragged away from my musing to find a worried Ilya staring nervously up at me, "what do you think?"

"What do I think?" I repeated in a bland tone. "I think it's absolutely brilliant."

"Really!?"

"Yes really." And I was being completely honest.

True, when I sold my soul I didn't think Serafall planned to copyright it and turn it into a script for a show. But what the hell, I could shrug it off by thinking it was Archer in the show instead of me. Because at this point I could no longer bring myself to give a damn, not after suffering through so much crazy today. At least this way I'll get to laugh at Archer's face when he finally comes to kill me, because by the dead god this is the most embarrassing thing that could possibly happen to him.

"Wait a second," I frowned as a thought occurred to me, "by any chance did Serafall start selling any merchandise of the show? Like, T-Shirts by any chance?"

"Yes." Ilya nodded, "I remember seeing Serafall shipping an entire crate full of different shirts to you. That's why I was sure you knew about the show."

…Well, at least I now know where Asia keep getting all of those T-shirts from...and why do I get the distinct feeling that I was being pranked.

* * *

The groan of metal filled my ears as I pushed against the door, forcing it open as its bottom edge scraped against the concert floor. As I stepped out onto the rooftop I was forced to quickly shield my eyes as bright sunlight shone on my face.

Allowing the door get pulled shut behind me, I walked forward towards the end of the rooftop where a waist high railing lined the edge and preventing anyone from slipping off. The sound of people, talking and laughing, began drifting up from the courtyard, rising with every step I took.

Once I reached the fence I had a clear sight of the grounds bellow, where tables with food and drink was set up for the day's visitors. Parents and teachers alike mingled around the tables, holding cups or plates of food in their hands, while the students gathered at the edge of the courtyard or wandered around in small groups around the school.

The school day was finally over, and now the after-party had begun. Unlike the school visits, where visitors got to observe their children live out their school day, the purpose for the party was parents to get to know and interact with each other. This left the students free to wander freely to what they willed for the rest of the day and most of them simply wandered around with friends.

I looked over the courtyard as it was painted in shades of yellow by the setting sun, and at the crowds of relaxing parents. Looking at it now, it was hard to imagine that just a few short weeks ago this place was a crater ridden battlefield. There was no sign of any of the death or destruction it had witnessed, looking nothing more than an ordinary school to the unknowing eye.

For a short while I allowed myself to just stand there, shutting my eyes and relaxing as the sounds from the party slowly wash over me. There was something soothing about it, listening to the dull murmur of people talking and laughing. In a way that I could not quite explain, it was somehow calming being surrounded by the sound of peaceful life, in a way that wasn't too dissimilar to the effects of taking a warm bath.

A part of me delighted in it. Knowing that because of my actions these people could continue to live their peaceful and happy lives. That I played a role, no matter how small, to help maintain the peace of the world. That even if only a little bit, I made it a happier place.

That is why I needed to remember this feeling, so that I wound never forget what I was fighting for. No matter how difficult it was to carry on at times.

I opened my eyes and gazed down at the world below me, a world whose colours were gradually beginning to shift from yellow to red as the sun continued it's descent. And though I did not intended them to, before long I found my eyes drifting to the spot that I last was _him._

I won. I know I did. I had achieved all of my goals and ended up saving everybody, just like I had wanted to. There was no reason for me to grieve and every reason for me to be satisfied.

But I wasn't.

He died with a smile on his face, I knew that. He left this world with not a single regret, content in the knowledge that his duty was complete. Yet still, even though I saved him in the end, it doesn't change the fact that it was here that I ended up killing a friend.

That made my victory a bittersweet one.

"Knowing only victory tainted with bitter defeat…huh?" The words came to my lips unbidden, but I could not think of a more appropriate line.

Long ago, in a world so similar yet irrefutably different to this one, I first spoke those words. My Aria, words that in a way was a reflection of my inner self. At first I had intended to speak Archer's, not knowing that it would not work for me. But I realized that truth just as I had begun chanting and before I knew it I was changing his Aria into my own.

And what emerged was something I did not expect.

One verse stood out more than the others.

_Knowing only victory tainted with bitter defeat._

While I had not thought of it that way before then, I could not deny that it held a certain truth in it. In a way I have always won, at least when it matters. But each time I did, it came with a cost. A price so heavy it made my hard sought victory a bitter one.

Even when I win, I lose.

The first time was in the Fuyuki City fire. I did not know it at the time, but I should have died then. The fire born from Angra Mainyu should have killed me, the wound it gave me too grave to be healed by mundane means. But by reaching Kiritsugu I survived. I healed and flourished when I should have perished. I won.

But at a price.

I still remember them, the burning corpses, people begging for help that would never come. I remember the sound of their screams, the taste of burning ash in my mouth and the smell of burned flesh burning my nose.

I remember having to walk past them, ignoring their cries of agony, so that I may survive.

It haunts my dreams to this very day.

And then there was what I didn't remember. I could not remember my mother. Though I surely must have one I remember nothing of her. Not her face, not her name, not even the scent of her hair. Something so fundamental as a person and it was taken away from me, as if it was never there to begin with. My mother, father, family and home. Even who I was.

All those things were taken, burned out of me in that fire.

I had entered that fire as fully living being only to come out as an empty one, a blank slate.

I lived but at a price.

There was a time, when I was reckless with my magic. Despite all of Kiritsugu's warning I pushed too much, took too big a risk when I was wasn't ready. In my frustration at my lack of progress I made a mistake. One that should have killed me.

I gazed into my very soul.

For thirty days I was trapped in there, oblivious to the danger I was in while my body continued to wither and fade until it simply disappeared. But I didn't, I survived. And in the process, I gained something invaluable.

What I saw there in the void of my soul, where nothing but swords exists, change me. For the better. It was in there that _my_ Ideals were born. Not Kiritsugu's, not Archer's but my own. I had found my purpose, one that I would spend the remainder of my days following. It was my only path.

But again it came at a price.

For on the very day I had gained my ideals, I opened my eyes-

-Only to be greeted by the sight of a dying Kiritsugu, wearing a smile so similar to the one he wore on that day we first met.

Thus twice I had won only to lose something in turn.

Then came the war.

__I ask of you._ _Are you my Master?_

It was there that I met _her._

Saber.

If there was one defining moment, one single instant that change my life it was then. When I first met her, it that broken down shed that was my workshop. After that nothing in my life was ever the same again.

In a battlefield where heroes out of history and legend roamed we fought by each other's side. And despite all the odds, we won. Together we emerged as the victors and put a stop to that senseless war once and for all.

_In the end there is something I must tell you._

Then in the light of the coming dawn…

_Shirou, __I love you._

…she was gone.

That was the third.

Really, even when I win I lose.

And finally, there was Ilya. Fading, dying Ilya.

After searching for her for so long, only to watch her die after knowing her only for a little more than a year…That was unfair, completely unfair. After suffering so much, after going through all of that, this is the ending that she gets?

I couldn't accept that, no, it was more accurate to say I refused to accept it.

I searched for an answer everywhere, did everything in my power that I could, tried everything that I could think of but in the end all I could do was watch her as she faded away. Seeing her die little by little with every passing day. Ilya was dying and there was nothing I could do to stop it. And through it all she smiled.

And it appeared that I have lost.

Another day of parting seemed to be inevitable.

But then when all hope was lost, a miracle occurred.

Ilya was saved.

I had won.

And at long last I thought I won. At last I had a true victory. I had finally saved someone without losing someone in turn.

I had _finally_ won.

I was wrong.

It was only later, when it was far too late did I realize the price I paid. I was in another world, in a different universe. It was only later did I truly realized what that meant.

Where do souls go when we die?

I remember something Saber told me long ago. No, she did not tell me. It was something I had seen in a dream. A memory of the past, her memory, given to me through the dream-cycle.

A memory about our promised meeting.

The magus told us this:

_ For you two, whose time is so far apart, one miracle is simply not enough._

_If you want to meet again two miracles must occur._

_ One must wait continuously, one must pursue endlessly._

_ Only after that can the miracle of your meeting can come to be._

Though it was small, so tiny that it may as well not exist, the possibility of our meeting was not zero. It was not impossible. So long as I keep searching, so long as she keeps waiting, we may one day end up meeting again.

But that was no longer true.

Where do souls go when we die?

In the same world, surely there is a chance they may end up in the same place.

But what about here? In another world, in an entirely different universe, governed by a completely foreign set of laws? There is no way that can happen.

In this world, by coming here, by selling my soul, I have assured that the two of us will never meet again.

And now, even the small miracle of our meeting was lost to me.

That day will never come to pass.

Thus the sword and its sheath will never meet again.

And so once again I have lost.

Thus once again, I stand utterly alone.

Unbidden, laughter erupted from my throat. It was a dark, bitter broken thing, something too painful to be called a laugh. Even to my own ears it hurt to listen but I couldn't stop. I just laughed and laughed up at the reddening sky.

Truly, even when I win I lose

* * *

**Recommended - Play OST **

'**Umineko no naku koro ni BGM – Hope (your favorite version)'**

Then she came –

"_Ah~, what a sad laugh you have there Shirou."_

-Like she always did.

At sound of the door creaking open I turned around to find her walking towards me.

Eyes of such startling violet focused on mine as they glittered under the light of the sun. Her hair, fashioned into twin tails, fluttered and swayed in the wind. Still dress up in her magical girl costume, though she had ditched her wand somewhere, she approached me with slow steady steps as she held her empty hands behind her.

She opened her mouth to speak only to stop half way, a peculiar look on her face. However it quickly shifted into an appreciative one as her hand rose to her mouth, only half covering the creepy smile that appeared there.

"_Ho-Ho_~, you look good in that uniform." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I could almost feel her eyes roaming over me, knowing that would only encourage her.

"Really?" I looked down at the Kuoh Academy uniform I was wearing. It mainly consisted of black and white colours with a ridiculous looking striped tie. "I personally think I look kind of stupid in this thing." I told her while giving the collar around my neck a quick tug.

"No, no, you look good in it." She continued to approach closer, that creepy little smile on her face still half covered by her hand. However that smile turned to a full grown grin as her eyes lit up in a way that I quickly recognized as her getting one of her ideas.

"Strip." She commanded.

_"Wait-What!"_

"I said strip." Her hands reaching for my jacket in an effort to pull it off.

"No!" I took a step back, out of the reach of her prying hands, and reflectively warped my arms protectively around myself as I did so.

"Not your pants you perv!" Serafall, bent over laughing at my reaction, explained. "I meant your jacket."

"…Oh." I could feel my cheeks burning as she continued to laugh at my reaction. Somehow I had the feeling she did that on purpose.

"You could have put it in a different way." I muttered, complying and obediently took my jacket off.

"I could have." She agreed readily, snatching the jacket from my offered hands and walked past me. "But then I wouldn't be able to see that adorable blushing face of yours."

The rooftop echoed with the sound of her laughter as she removed the ribbons from her hair, causing her now unrestrained hair to spill down her back, before swinging the jacket onto her shoulders. She quickly slipped her arms into the sleeves before reaching behind her and pulling her long hair free and allowing it to spill onto her back.

"So? How do I look?" She twirled around until she ended up facing me. She held her arms wide open, her entire body framed by the backdrop of the golden-red sky behind her. "Think I can pass as a student?"

The size of my jacket was simply far too large on her tiny frame. The sleeves hung past her hands, not even the tips of her fingers showing, making her look even smaller than she really was, almost like a child wearing their father's sweater. While the bottom of the jacket fell past her waist, reaching all the way down to the back of her knees, acting like a second skirt.

Her raven locks, now freed, cascaded down her back like a waterfall, swaying with the gentle breeze on the rooftop. She smiled expectedly at me, waiting for my response.

"What are you doing?" I finally asked, shaking my head at her actions.

"What?" Her gentle smile still in place, looking so different form her usual teasing ones. "Is it so wrong of me to want to pretend to be a student?"

She twirled around in circles a couple of times, giggling like a child as the jacket flapped around her. "Besides I'm jealous, it's not like I ever got a chance to wear a uniform of my own before. I never got the chance to go to school like you and Sona. In my time we were all home schooled."

She walked over to the railing, crossing her arms and leaning on them as she looked over the mix of partying parents and teachers. "I had to sit through a string of the most boring private tutors you can imagine. And they were nowhere near as entertaining as these bunch." She nodded her head at someone below, beyond the view from where I was standing, just as laughter erupted from courtyard. I identified Yamato's voice mixed in with the crowds and had no trouble imaging him cracking jokes.

"…Really, I'm jealous." She spun around and leaned back on the railing, strands of her hair drifting in front of her. "It would have been really fun coming to school with you."

"You would have also driven the teachers to tears in an almost daily bases. Not to mention what you'd do to poor Sona." I told her wryly.

"True," She nodded shamelessly while her shoulders shook with repressed laughter, "but it would have still been rather fun. I guarantee it." Her shoulder's shaking finally tapered down before she looked up at me, a knowing smile on her lips.

I said nothing, letting silence take hold of us as I stood on the windy rooftop just watching her, as she in turn watched me with those far too violet eyes of hers. The silence continued to stretch, thought it wasn't an uncomfortable one, until she decided to break it.

"You were thinking about her again." Despite how she phrased it, I knew it wasn't a question. Her eyes reminded locked onto mu own, "Your Saber. Your lost treasure."

"…Yes," I nodded, seeing no reason to deny it. "I was."

The smile she gave me was equal parts sympathetic as it was accepting. She turned her eyes away from me, to look at the empty hand that she raised to her side.

"I've heard it said, that we are all born with a purpose. That every living thing, no matter how small or large has a reason for existing, that all of us came to be for some greater purpose. That all our lives have meaning since the very start."

She shut her eyes for a moment, letting the words sink, in before clenching her hand. "But that's wrong," Brilliant violet eyes turned to me, "that's completely wrong. Life has no meaning, none of us are _born with _a meaning. We are just born, and that's it. Life has no greater purpose than living, no matter how much the poets and philosophers like to tell us otherwise. The truth remains that there is no reason why we come to exist."

A tiny smile, nothing but a small upturn of her lips. "But that's OK. Just because we are born without meaning, doesn't mean we can't find one."

She leaned back on the railing and stared up into the sky. "In this world we are all born with no purpose, but surely if you look for it, if you search hard and long enough over the course of your life, one day you'll surely find something of value. A treasure, one for your very own.

"And when you find that most precious of treasures, when you hold it in your own two hands, at the time you'll surely realize '_ah, so this is the reason why I was born. This is my life's purpose'_.

She lowered her eyes again, but this time she didn't meet mine. She turned her sad eyes to the two empty hands she held before her, "A treasure…I had found one, once. So very long ago, but I lost it. My treasure, my _Evelyn_." She shut her eyes, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And I thought, that was it. The story is over, I lost. The world once filled with colours turned to a world of grey, as without her my life held no meaning."

Her eyes slowly drifted open, unfocused, "Then a miracle happened. It was a tiny one, something that happens all around the world all the time, but to me it was a miracle unmatched by any other. A little miracle called _Sona._"

A chuckle escaped her throat. "Did I you know I hated her once? When she was first born, I honestly detested her and wanted nothing to do with her. But the stubborn little thing wouldn't leave me alone. Heh, she never did listen to what I told her, not even then. Despite how badly I treated her, she's follow me around almost like a second shadow, doing her damnedest to help me no matter how horrible I was to her.

"And when I finally snapped and asked why she wouldn't just leave me alone, do you know what she told me?" Violet eyes rose to meet mine, an amused smirk twisting her lips. "She looked up at me with those large doe eyes of hers and said_ 'It's because you look so sad'."_

Serafall snickered a bit, before she carried on with a smile, "And that Shirou, is how I found my second treasure." Her smile dimed. "But that wasn't enough, for as much I wanted her to be, Sona wasn't mine. Not really. She wasn't mine to keep, not for long anyway. I was only holding onto her for safe keeping, until the day she belongs to someone else and I'll have to give her away."

Her eyes looked to her left, "So I decided, to look for it again. A treasure of my very own. I had found it once, and maybe, just maybe I could find it once again. But I didn't.

"For the longest time, I thought that was it. That I lost my chance once, I'll never get another. I searched this entire world for a treasure of my own, one just for me but I could not find it. No matter how hard I looked, no matter how far I searched it simply wasn't there. And then I finally came to realize, that it did not exist, that I could not find it because in this world there simply didn't exist a treasure for me to find. I don't think I've cried as much as I did on that day for a long time."

"But I was wrong," her eyes turned back onto me, and they were as serious as I had ever seen them, "for you appeared."

She pushed herself off the railing and approached me, her eyes not once leaving my face.

"Of course I could not find you, how can I? You who came from another world. You who are without any doubt my most precious treasure."

"Serafall–" I interrupted her, though before I could get so much as a word in she cut me off.

"Sera." She demanded, the name she insisted I call her. The stubborn look on her face told me she wouldn't budge on this one.

"Sera," I conceded, "I already told you I can't-"

"And I told you I refuse to accept that." Cutting me off again, her eyes blazing in the sunset. "All your rejections, all your denials and refusals, I reject them all."

She reached a hand out and, with far more gentleness that it warranted, cupped my cheek. "I understand," rubbing her thumb beneath my eye, "I understand the pain of losing someone you hold dear, above anyone else I know all to well how that feels. That is why, I'll wait. I'll wait and wait and wait as long as it takes. Until the day comes that you can look at me the way I look at you."

She released me, slowly walking backwards as she did so. Her eyes never leaving my face. "It is precisely because I understand that feeling that I'm not willing to let you go. I made that mistake once before, and I lost her because of it. I will not lose you too. I refuse to."

"That is why I won't hesitate." Her eyes blazing with determination as it bore into mine. Her backward walk stopped as she neared the railing. "This is my second chance, one I waited two hundred years for and I will not let it slip by. I won't make any mistakes this time by waiting, by hesitating, by being cautions. I'll run full steam ahead I until I finally catch you. No hesitation, no regrets, I'm going to make it clear right from the start."

With that she gave me a determined nod before she turned around, jacket spinning after her, and stomped determinedly toward the railing. Propping one foot on the rail, so hard that the metal rang, she looked down at the large gathered crowd in the courtyard below before, without the slightest hint of hesitation, she began to take a deep breath.

Realizing what she was about to do, I reached out to stop her. "Sera! Don't-"

_Too late._

"_I, Serafall Leviathan am in love with Emiya Shirou, and will continue to love him and only him till the day I die!_" She yelled out at the top of her lungs.

Her words were so loud that they echoed off the opposite wall, reaching every corner of the school grounds and making sure that without any doubt that everyone had heard it.

Silence filled the air, the crowd bellow having grown quite at the unexpected declaration, before they broke out in cheers and applause. Some people were actually whistling and yelling her on.

I was pretty sure I heard Sirzechs's laughter and cheers mixed in the others.

Jacket swaying behind her as she turned to look back at me, her cheeks flushed as she lifted a hand to her smiling face, giggling with a mix of nerves and giddy excitement. Her expression was one of embarrassment, nervousness, excitement and pure elation.

But there was not a even a single hint of regret anywhere to be found.

Really, I don't know why I was even surprised. After all-

_This is Serafall._

She pointed a finger straight at me, her frame backdropped by the setting sun and her knee length-hair swayed in the breeze.

_In the sunrise I lost her. In the sunset she appeared. Opposite as night and day._

"Emiya Shirou," She declared, walking towards me, "I love you."

"You've been saying that since the very first day we met." Even to my ears, my voice held an emotion I could not understand. "How long are you going to keep saying it?"

"Until you believe me." Blazing aqua eyes met my golden ones as she answered me, drawing nearer with her every step. "And then forever more after that. I'll keep saying it until the sun itself goes out and time ends. And even after that I'll keep saying it. Because in the world full of lies, this is the only truth.

"Serafall Leviathan will always love Emiya Shirou."

She finally reach me, standing so close that there was hardly any space between us. Standing up onto her tip toes she reached out and cupped my cheek once again.

"You are _mine._" She declared, voice resolute, eyes unbending, "When you sold your soul to me you became mine. And exchange for that I'll give you my soul as well, so that I'll be yours in return. You will be my _sin, _this I so-" Serafall stopped, a displeased expression on her face.

"Why do you have to be so damn _tall_?"

"What?" I slipped out, thrown off balance by the unexpectedness of her words.

She released my cheek and latched onto my tie. "You're too tall. How am I supposed to talk with you when you're way up there?" She tugged on my tie, forcing me to bend down. "Sit down."

In an effort to avoid being choked I complied, allowing her to drag me to the ground and forced me to sit cross legged.

"There, much better." She beamed proudly _down_ at me, hands on her waist. "Now-"

Again, she stopped midway through her speech.

Cupping her chin, she leaned forward and examined my face, her expression a contemplative one. "You know," her eyes narrowing, "up close you're not really that good looking as you are from afar."

_This woman!_

I stopped myself midway through a retort as I caught sight of her mocking grin. I groaned and covered my eyes with a hand. I can't believe I fell for that.

"Hahahaha," She threw her head back and laughed. "There! That's that blushing face I was looking for." She turned to look back down at me, smiling unashamedly all the while. "I have waited two hundred years just to find you. Even if I have to wait for another two thousand years, I'll gladly wait that and a million more for the mere chance of having you fall in love with me."

And before I got the chance to say a thing, she walked around me. The next thing I know I felt a weight fall on my back as Serafall leaned back onto me, before sliding down on to the floor so that we sat back to back to each other.

She shifted her head on my shoulder so that if I strained I could see her twinkling eyes as she smiled up at me. "Rejoice Shirou, for love has found you again. Whether you want it to or not."

Then she looked away and before I knew it, did the most embarrassing thing I could possibly think of.

Serafall started to _sing_ a _love song_ of all things!

* * *

**Song : Genesis of Aquarion – Accepella (just before the one minute mark)**

_I remember sitting with you_

_Underneath the Tree of Life_

Sona's head perked up from where she was hunched over her desk, pausing halfway through writing a report as a peculiar sound caught her attention. She looked towards the door, cocking her head to one side so that she could listen better, as what sounded like singing reached her ears.

_We listened to every faint cry_

_Of the Creature there on the day the World began_

Yes, there was no mistaking it. That was definitely singing she was hearing. She turned to look at the stack of reports that still needed to be filled. With all the training she had been squeezing in she had fallen far more behind in her work that she would have liked and didn't need any further distractions right now.

However as the singing continued, Sona released a sigh of exasperation and pushed herself up from her desk, sending her chair rolling back. She had better take care of this now before it escalades into a bigger mess, as things had the tendency to do in her life. Besides, though she did not care to admit it, she was mildly curious of the source of the singing.

_Looking at everything that I've lost_

_And almost everything that I've loved_

Sona stalked out of the room, only to pause as she reached the empty corridor. Looking left and right down each side of the hall, Sona shut her eyes and listened carefully, before opening them and, with a decisive nod, turned to her left and made her way quickly down the corridor. She walked past not one but two stairwell, not slowing her pace in the slightest, and absently noticing how easily her footsteps echoed in empty the hallways.

_I'll hold them all tightly in my arms_

_Wondering where I am, so please tell me where to go_

Finally pausing at the foot of the third stairwell, Sona walked up to the railing, placing both her hands on it and leaned over the edge to peer upwards, trying to catch sight of the source of the song. A moment later, she found herself walking up the stairs. She climbed the flight of stair with quick efficient steps, taking two at a time, only stopping until she reached the very top, at the platform where a door that lead to the rooftop was.

_All of the answers you seek lie hidden in the Sun_

_If I hadn't met you my life would have been in the Darkness forever_

Sona cautiously examined the steel door for a second before approaching it. The singing grew noticeably louder with each step she took, assuring her that whoever the culprit was, they were behind the door.

Sona placed a hand on the door and was just about to push it open, but stopped at the last second, as she finally recognized the voice of the person singing. She ended up blinking incredulously at the door as a suspicion began to dawn on her.

_In my wings are the powers of immortality_

So, instead of simply shoving the door wide open, Sona squatted down and gave it a gentle push instead, opening a gap just barely wide enough for her to peer through.

Placing her eyes along the gap, Sona was forced to blink away the spots that appeared as the bright red sunlight shone into her eyes. However when she finally regained her sight, she felt her eyes widen and jaw drop slightly.

_But by meeting you my whole life has changed_

_You light to me, hope to me, strength into my life_

Sona blinked, blinked again, then blinked once more when the sight won't go away. But her surprise quickly turned to amusement and she had to slap a hand over her mouth to muffle the chuckles that threatened to escape her.

_All this time these twelve thousand years_

_I know Aishiteiru!_

_(I Love You!)_

Kicking her legs out before her as she leaned onto his back, Serafall had a large smile on her face as she sung happy for all to all hear.

Wrapped in a jacket simply far too large for her to wear, the sleeves of which hung several inches past even the tips of her fingers, she nevertheless swung her arms widely in the air as she tilted her head back and continued to sing.

Her long unbound hair pooled on the ground around her, painted red by the light of the setting sun as it filled the view of the skyline behind them.

_Eight thousand years since the time that I've met you my love grows strong than ever before_

_Words can't say of this time I've been waiting to share my love with you_

Sitting opposite her, their backs touching, was Shirou. He was hunched over slightly, the bangs of his hair masking his eyes from her while he covered his mouth with a hand.

But even in the crimson light of the sunset couldn't hide how red his face had turned.

_I'd give you my life, _

_I would give you the world to see you smiling every day_

"Yeah," Sona smiled at them, "Those two are going to end up being just fine."

_One hundred million and two thousand years from now Aishiteiru _

Quietly, so that they won't hear her, Sona shut the door again before rising from her crouch. Giving the door one final look, she shook her head as a tender laugh escaped her before turning and walking away.

As she began to make her way down the stairs, she could not help but give her head another shake as the song continued to echo of the walls of the stairwell, accompanying her all the way down.

_I want you to know since you came to my life_

_Every day, every night, you give light into the darkest _

_Skies_

* * *

Out in the courtyard the dinner party was still going strong. Laughter was occasionally intermixed with the noise of talking as parents socialized with their fellow parents and the school's faculty. Some even chatted about the recent public confession, reminiscing about their own youthful escapades as they did so.

However in their enjoyment, none of them realized the danger that strode in their midst.

_He_ slipped between the milling masses of the crowd with remarkable ease, each step light, unnaturally graceful. Long grey hair held in a ponytail drifted behind the youth as he strode confidently ahead, not sparing anyone in the crowd more than a passing glance.

Dressed in an immaculate male Kuoh academy uniform, the youth was a peculiar sight to anyone who saw him. Yet in spite of his clothing, many had trouble identifying his gender. The length of his hair, the softness and paleness of his skin, his slim almost delicate form and the grace he held himself with all pointed to him being a girl.

But one look at his face would have dissuaded anyone of that notion. His features were too sharp to be called feminine, to severe to be beautiful. Where there should have been soft curves on edges were found instead. His eyes were narrows to thin slits, hiding his pupils from the world, masking his thoughts.

And for all his grace, his posture held a certain arrogance, a domineering aspect to it as he strode through the crowd. Then there was his smile –

-it was an empty thing.

All in all, he was completely androgynous.

Ignoring the people around him he made his way past the crowd and towards the doors of the school, silently slipping in when he reached it. Taking a moment to orient himself, he peered around before once again he continued to confidently walk down the hall.

"- and now I have no idea what to do with all of these DVDs."

The voice drifted down the corridor as a blond hair boy walked around the corner, a stack of DVDs in his hands. He was talking to his companion, a white haired wisp of a girl, who showed no signs of listening to him as she focused the entire of her attention to bar of _yokan_ she was eating from one hand, while the other hand cradled an entire pile of the treat.

The youth spared them no more attention than he did anything else as he continued on his way, the polite empty smile still pasted on his face.

The two groups steady approached one another, each of them heading to their own destination, neither one paying any mind to the other as their footsteps echoed in the otherwise empty corridor.

And at last they met, right in the halfway point of the corridor-

-only to pass each other without incident.

The youth continued to walk the down the corridor, showing no outwards sign of even being aware of the pair's existence. With the other group the blonde continued to stare perplexedly at the DVDs in his hands.

"I mean how am I supposed to watch all of this?" he picked up the case at the top of the stack, a completely blank DVD casing, and flipped it over to peer at it's back as if an answer would be written there. "Do you have any idea Koneko?"

He looked to his side as he questioned his tiny companion only to stop in midstride as he realized she wasn't there. "Koneko?" He swerved his head left and right looking for the girl, only spotting her when he looked behind him.

His eyes widened in shock as he took in her state. "Koneko! What's wrong?"

Her eyes were almost entirely white, so wide were they open. Her cat ears, normally carefully hidden from view, were standing straight up in stiff attention while her body shivered, trembling so hard that it was easily visible to see.

Her food dropped from her nerveless hands, spilling onto the floor though she paid them no mind, too scared to move as she stared blankly ahead with wide horrified eyes.

"…" her mouth moved, trying to form the words but nothing came out at her. She tried again, but the words came out garbled from how hard her teeth chattered, "…D-D-Dra-"

Then the youth turned around the corner, walking out of view and beyond hearing range.

He continued to walk all the way until he reached the end of the hall, where a staircase was located, before turning and making his way up the steps. He climbed the stairs with long confident steps, not a single movement wasted, a hunter's stride.

The only question was, who was his prey?

Just as he was about to pass from the second floor platform and make his way up to the third he paused, one foot already on the next step.

A slight furrow made its way to his brow as he cocked his head to the side, listening intently as the sound of distant, faded voices drifted in the air. His eyes widened in recognition revealing his pale grey eyes while a hate filled sneer crossed his face, the first sign of genuine emotion he revealed all day, before it disappeared, quickly replaced once again by that meaningless smile of his.

He stared upwards for moment, contemplating something, before with an almost unperceivable nod, he lifted his foot off the step and reversed his course, walking through the entrance to second floor hallway.

The once faded voices began to progressively grow louder as he strode through the corridor, stopping when he reached a classroom door where the voices were originating from. He raised a hand to the door's handle, silently pulling it down and swinging it open.

"Hey Issei." the voice came from a trio of boys who stood off to one corners, the shaved hair one in particular. He was staring at another boy, one with brown hair, in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"I'm thinking." He had his arms crossed before him while he shut his eyes, his entire face a mask of concentration.

"Issei." The last member of the group, a nerdy looking teen, sighed as he pushed his frames up his nose. "How many times must I tell you, trying to decide which hand to use when watching porn doesn't count as 'thinking'."

Issei slammed his hands on the desk, standing up from his seat as he yelled out. "Motohama! That's not what I was thinking about!" He then paused, his offended expression turning to a thoughtful one as he cradled his chin and dropped back into his seat. "But that does raise a rather philosophical question. Which is better, the left or the right?"

"You really haven't change a bit have you _worm_?" A voice cut into their conversation. Though the tone it was spoken in was a jolly one, there was a hidden undertone of loathing for those perceptive enough to notice it.

The trio of boys looked up to find the grey haired youth standing on the opposite side of the room from them, leaning on the wall next to the door with his arms crossed before him as he smiled at them with a smile that was too empty to be described as pleasant.

"Oh no, not another _bishounen_." The bald one, Matsuda, bemoaned. "What's with your kind popping up everyplace today? Wait!" He perked up, looking at the youth cautiously. "Don't tell me you want more of our porn? Well forget it." He crossed his arms so they formed an 'X', "We gave enough of our stash already to Kiba. You're not getting any more of our porn."

The empty smile turned just a little bit sharper at those words as his slits opened minutely. "No, I'm not here to take away your precious _porn_." He rolled the word off his tongue in a manner that could have easily been interpreted as mocking. "I'm only here to see how the little worm is doing."

Motohama, easily picking up the insult, frowned at the boy as he pushed his frames again. "Issei do you know this guy?" When he didn't get a response he repeated, "Issei?" Turning to look at his friend only to blink in confusion.

Issei had gone completely pale white as he stared at the new arrival, his skin drained of so much color it looked like snow. For a long while he didn't move, didn't dare breathe as he stared at abject terror at the boy, before he finally recovered enough to speak.

He swallowed audibly, his throat having gone dry, before he managed to stutter out, "N-N-_Nee-san_."

"Nee-san!" Both Motohama and Matsuda exclaimed it surprise as both their head swirled to the _'boy' _in question. With their well-practiced eyes were now able to easily notice the slight swelling on her chest now that it was pointed out to them. Matsuda carried on, "Wait he's a chick? No wait, you just said Nee-san. You have a sister and you didn't tell us?"

"Oh, did the worm forget to mention me." The now identified girl cooed mockingly as she pushed herself off the wall and began to navigate her way through the sea of desks towards them. "Well, we can't have that, now can we?"

She made her way around until she stood behind and to one side to Issei, before bending down and throwing her arm around his shoulder and pulling him to her a half-hug, ignoring the way he had broken into a terrified sweat at her mere touch.

"Allow me to introduce myself," she tilted her head in a very minute manner, in what might have generously been called a nod. "I am the worm's twin sister and the eldest child of the Hyoudou household. My name is –"

Then something that had far too many teeth to ever be called a smile made its way to her face.

_"Hyoudou Karasuba."_

_Beware; A Dragon has entered the Halls of Kuoh Academy!_

* * *

***Story End***

…I am so so sorry.

I'd also take this opportunity to announce that this fic now official had several bad endings routes. I'm being serious here, so many times in my head the plot ends with Karasuba standing over a pile of corpses of the main characters while she laughs like a maniac. Why can't stories have save points so I can restart if I take us down the wrong route?

Now, in all seriousness can you imagine anyone fitting the definition of a dragon (this fics definition) better than Karasuba? Would you guys take a moment and sit back and imagine a DxD with Karasuba as a main character. It will probably be the shortest anime in history, probably ending with the destruction of the world, but it will be one hell of a ride.

I'm sure many of you have some questions about the pairing, well I just want to say that…I deny everything. Is it a single? Multiple? Harem? or the dreaded Gen? Who knows (I do but I'm not telling), but never fear because figuring it out is half the fun.

Now as I'm sure you all noticed I have a lot of characters running around in this story. Let me say I spent a lot of time developing every character that is or will become a part of Shirou's Peerage along with many others of the cast including villains. So if your favorite character didn't get a lot of screen time don't worry they will, it's just that I can't cram every single character into every chapter without shortchanging them. (I have suddenly gained a whole lot of sympathy and respect to what Gabriel blessing had to go through writing in-flight, what with the huge case of main characters.)

And I have noticed a couple of people wanted to write a reading of this story. Well for those of you who do, go ahead, you have my blessing. In fact, I official grant permission to anyone who wants to write a story using the rules of my universe (Not the plot or characters – sorry) so long as you source me. The original purpose of this story was to encourage more original pieces of work (no more killed by raynare and resurrected as a pawn by Rias), so nothing would make me happier than knowing that I helped inspire someone else's story. We can never have enough good fanfics after all.

Don't want to clog up the AN too much, so I'll post the rest of my opinions on this chapter in my forums. Remember, while I can't talk about future events or spoilers, I'm more than happy to answer any questions about the mechanics of the universe or clarify any events that happened in past chapters.

I'll be honest here I'm really nervous on how this chapter turned out. So, tell me what did you think? The interactions between Serafall and Shirou? Serafall herself? The reveal of the Boosted Gear wielder? And how many of you want to see the UBW: episode one + magical girls?

And remember that the only way I can only know if I'm doing something right or wrong is if you tell me.

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and thanks again for reading.


	15. Chapter 15: Here be Dragon

**_Chapter 15:_**

**_Here be Dragon_**

* * *

_"You do realize that she's going to die?"_

_I thought I had been alone, watching the moon from the backyard of my house, but it appeared I was wrong. He was there._

_Turning to the archer clad in red, I found him watching me with those almost familiar grey eyes of his. Judging, assessing, for what, I did not know._

_"Who is?"_

_"Ilya," Archer's eyes never left mine as he answered, they bore straight into mine as if searching for something, "Her body is approaching it's limit and is already beginning to break down. It wouldn't be long now before her condition becomes critical, and there is nothing that can be done to stop it. In a year, two at best, she will die."_

_"She won't," I replied confidently, unable to stop myself from smiling at the man. For all of his callousness, his attempt at feigned indifference, he could never hide his true nature when it matters the most. "I'll save her."_

_"Tch, there you go again with that Hero crap again. For a moment I thought you–" He looked away, frustration etched into his face. "In the end it's no use huh?"_

_"Not as a hero." Archer blinked in confusion at my interruption and turned back to me. My golden eyes met his grey ones and l refused to look away. "I'm not going to save Ilya because I'm a Hero." I smiled and thumped a fist onto my chest, "I'm going to save her because I'm her brother."_

_For a long time after that Archer simply stared at me. It as if he was looking at me for the first time, and didn't find what he expected. Until at last, he simply said._

_"You really are different."_

* * *

"Munyu~~~, Morning Shirou." A voice tiredly called out from behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder to find a groggy, bleary-eyed Ilya stumbling into the kitchen as she tried to rub the sleep out of eyes. She let out a large yawn as she walked towards the kitchen table on unsteady feet, barely reaching one of its chairs before collapsing into it. Despite having just woken up, it looked like she'd fall back to sleep any second now as she set she set her crossed arms on the wooden surface of the table and plopped her onto it.

"Good morning," I replied, barely restraining a snicker at the sight of a near comatose Ilya. Really, seeing Ilya act in such a Rin like manner never failed to amuse me. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh huh." Came her groggy reply, her eyelids fluttering as she tried and failed to keep them open. Her snow-white hair was in a tangled mess, another clear sign she had just woken up as if the way she was sleepily rubbing her eyes were not a clue enough. Bundled in a blue long sleeved pajama dotted with snowflakes, Ilya looked even more childlike than she usually did.

Half-turning back to my cooking, I watched as Ilya try and fail to hold back another yawn. Looking at her now, even I sometimes found it hard to believe that Ilya was once a morning person. There was a time not too long ago that Ilya would practically leap out of bed, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, excited for the start of a new day. Then she became a Devil.

And Devils hated mornings.

Sunlight could not hurt us. In spite the Light element's renown for its effectiveness on Devils, natural light in itself did not harm us the way it did with Vampires. It did however trigger a deeply ingrained instinct in all Devils.

It was, at the core of it, a genetic thing. Devils were a nocturnal race after all, a species that felt right at home in the shadows and darkness. The day was the traditional time for us to sleep, the coming dawn a sign for Devils to rest, not to wander and roam as we do today. Just being bathed in sunlight seemed to exhaust any Devil. Even a good night sleep seemed to do nothing to counter the effect, our bodies intuitively knowing it was time to slumber regardless of what the mind told it.

Even I was no exception to this. It was only thanks to a lifetime of morning routine and habit that engraved self-discipline that allowed me to adjust so well, and yet it was a bit of a struggle getting up in the morning. Mornings were no longer a thing that I could look forward to with the enthusiasm I once did.

"So what's for-" Ilya had to pause as a huge yawn overcame her. "Ah~, what's for breakfast?"

"Nothing special today I'm afraid, just pancakes." I replied as I began flipping the first of the morning's batch in the pan. "We're in a hurry so I'm not going to have enough time to properly cook anything."

"Hmm? Oh, that's right. We're heading back today." With a visible force of will, Ilya raised her head of the table, though she still appeared to be having trouble keeping her eyes open. "What time are we teleporting to the Underworld?"

"We're not." Carefully sliding the pancakes onto a plate before starting another batch. "Most of my Peerage have never been to the Underworld before. Well, at least not the Devil's side. So we're going to ride the train again to have them registered."

"Hmm, OK." Ilya rubbed a fist over her eyes again in what was clearly becoming a hopeless battle to wake up. Absent-mindedly, she looked around the kitchen, probably searching something to distract her from her sleepiness.

"Shirou." She called out a few seconds later. "What's that?"

I turned to find her tiredly blinking at small bowl set on the table next to where she was sitting. "Oh, that's some Spanish almonds I brought. Asia seems to loves the stuff so I make sure to always keep some lying around the house."

"Spanish almonds huh?" Ilya drowsily replied, not sounding completely there. The way her head kept swaying as she stared at the bowl just reinforced that impression.

Then, in a movement that made it seem as if she'd topple over any second, Ilya leaned her face over the bowl, absently staring down at its contents. After a few second of blankly staring, she began speaking to the nut in Spanish. "_Hola_."

I watched in amusement as Ilya then proceeded to tilt her head, carefully holding her hair out of the way as she placed her ear next to the almonds, her eyes half-lidded as she listened carefully for a response. After a few seconds of waiting and hearing nothing, Ilya raised her head and shrugged, "They look like completely ordinary almonds to me Shirou."

She then proceeded to plop her head back on the table, crossing her arm beneath it and promptly went back to sleep.

Yes, it's official. Sleepy Ilya is an adorable Ilya.

Shaking my head at the sight, I turned back to my cooking. I guess it wouldn't hurt to allow Ilya to sleep just a little while longer. At least until I finished preparing breakfast. Hopefully getting some hot food in her will help snap her awake.

A loud banging coming from the front door drew my attention just as I was finishing off the latest batch of pancakes . Frowning, I glanced at the clock on the wall beside me. It was barely half past seven, so who could possibly be up this early? Shutting my eyes, I used my connection to the Evil Pieces to search for the rest of my Peerage.

Almost immediately I found Asia and Xenovia still in their perspective rooms, probably still preparing for our brief stay in the Underworld. Stretching my abilities just a bit, I could just faintly sense the presence of Ramiel and the others up in the attic. And even though he wasn't part of my Peerage I easily found Gasper from his room in the basement.

Ilya was here, and Serafall had spent the night at Sona's and planned to meet us in the Station later on, after she took care of our travel preparation. She should have left for the station already. That meant everyone was here and accounted for, so it wasn't anyone of them at the door.

I shook my head at my own stupidity when the knocking started up again, even louder this time. Instead of just standing here and wondering who it could be I should go answer the door and find out.

"I'm coming." I call out when the knocking turned into outright banging as whoever it was began hammering on the door. Setting the pan down and turning off the stove, I made my way to the front door, untying and tossing my apron on the table as I passed it by.

"I said I'm coming already." I called out again when the banging ceased to stop. Really, why do people keep insisting on banging the door when I had a perfectly nice doorbell there for them to ring?

Reaching the door I unlocked it and yanked it open. "What is- Tsubaki?" I blinked in surprises when I found Sona's Queen standing at my front door.

She looked frazzled, her usual composed and immaculately dressed self that could rival Sona was gone, no where to be seen. Hidden behind her frames, her eyes were wide with barely concealed panic and her shoulder rose and fell as she panted, slightly out of breath. Something was seriously wrong.

"What happened?" I asked, cutting to the chase.

She took a deep breath, trying and not quite succeeding in regaining some compose, before answering.

"The Wielder of the Boosted Gear has been found."

* * *

My footsteps sounded unusually loud to my ears, echoing off the walls of the empty stairwell as I quickly made my way up to the third floor. Though the school holiday only officially begins tomorrow, it seemed that most of the students have decided to start their vacation a day early. It felt weird seeing the school so empty in the middle of the day, almost as if it were deserted. From what little I've seen I'd be surprised if even a fifth of the students had bothered to show up today.

Well, at least the teacher's didn't seem too worked up about it. They actually appeared more relieved than upset with the situation. I guess they were too happy with a drop in their workload to complain. After the stress of the class visits yesterday they too must be looking forward to some rest and relaxation.

Well it wasn't as if I was in any position to complain, seeing as I was planning to ditch school today as well. If I hadn't been called over I would be using the extra time to prepare for the Underworld. But looks like that plan went down the drain.

Stepping onto the third floor landing, I turned left and quickly made my way to the classroom that Tsubaki told me we were meeting up in. Why weren't we meeting up in the Student Council room or even the old school building I did not know, and didn't had the chance to ask before Tsubaki had to leave. All I knew that Sona and Gremory wanted to meet me there.

Turning the corner, I finally reached the classroom in question and didn't hesitate to open the door and walk in. Contrary to my expectations neither Gremory nor Sona were in the room.

"Ara, Emiya-san." Akeno blinked up at me in surprise over the tea cup she held to her lips. Setting the cup down, Akeno elegantly rose up from her seat behind the table to greet me. "You're here earlier than we expected. Buchou and Kaichou still haven't arrived."

"I see." I absentmindedly muttered, too busy taking in the state of the 'classroom' to give her my full attention. Or perhaps it was a meeting room now? The rows of desks and chairs that once filled the room were now gone, replaced by a long coffee table surrounded on all sides by sofas. In the front of the room where the teacher's desk should have been was an arrangement of decorative plants instead. Even the windows had curtains in place of the usual blinders. "I thought that this was supposed to be a classroom?"

"It is. The school just redecorated it for the Class Visits. The teachers needed a private setting to meet and converse with some of the more influential parents so they transformed the classroom into this." She shrugged as she made her way to a tea set setup on a nearby table. "It's only supposed to be temporary, but thanks to the upcoming holidays the school isn't in any hurry to fix it. No one will care if we decide to commandeer it for the day."

"And why are we meeting here instead of the one of the usual places?" I asked from where I was stood by the door, still taking in the room's transformation.

"It would be best if Buchou explained it herself. If you wait a moment, I'm sure she and Kaichou should be here soon." Glancing over her shoulder from where she prepared a new cup, she nodded towards the sofas. "There is no need to stand there, please sit down."

Seeing no reason not to comply, I walked up to the sofa closest to door and sat myself down. The sofa was remarkably comfortable, of the quality that you won't expect to find in a school but I could not say I was surprised. If there was anything that was certain about this academy it was that they never cut corners, and would often go the extra mile. Even the furniture Serafall set up at my house wasn't of this quality.

"Here you go." Akeno's voice drew me away from my thoughts, bring my attention to the teacup she set down on the table.

"Thank y-" I had to stop and blink in confusion when I found nothing on the table before me, my hand reaching out for a cup that wasn't there. Staring dumbly ahead for a few seconds before glancing around, I finally spotted it sitting on the table a fair distance away.

The cup was set down on the opposite end of the table, on the bottom left corner. As I was seated on the bottom right I wouldn't have been able to reach it even had I stretched as far as I could, not without standing up and walking.

Akeno continued to wear a welcoming smile as she looked down at me from where she stood right next to the cup, not lifting so much as a finger to help.

"Akeno."

"Yes Emiya-san?" Akeno answered, politely smiling as always.

Nodding down towards the teacup, "I can't reach."

"Oh, I'm sorry." A hand rose up to cover her lips as she gasped. "Here, let me get that for you."

With all of her usual grace and poise, she leaned over and pushed the cup down the table closer towards me.

One full inch closer.

After straightening up, Akeno had the audacity to smile innocently back at me, completely disregarding the deadpanned look I was giving her. When she continued to do nothing but smile, I just gave up and shook my head with a sigh.

OK, so it looked like Akeno was messing with me on purpose but why? Did I do something to piss her off recently or was this the infamous sadistic side I heard so much about finally beginning to rear it's head?

Thinking back, I tried to remember if I had done something to insult her but ended up drawing a blank. I had barely interacted with Akeno at all outside of our first meeting in the Occult Club room weeks ago. Our interactions were limited to polite nods of hello when we cross each other in the corridor but that's it.

So what could I have done to piss her off?

Ah, never mind. What did I know about how teenage girls think? I used to piss Rin off all the time and I never could figure out why most of the time. While it may not be the best approach, I'll just ignore her little gibes for the now and hope that the she'd forget the whole issue by the time I returned from the Underworld.

So with that plan in mind, it was time to get me my drink. Pushing myself up I stood and took a single step to my left towards the teacup-

-only for Akeno to take a full step away from me when I did so.

Stopping, I shot Akeno a questioning look, perplexed at her behaviour but all she did was continue smiling at me as if nothing was wrong. I watched her for a few seconds, and when it became clear that she didn't intend to say or do anything, I just ignore her and took the final step towards the teacup, stooping down to grab it-

-only for Akeno to take _another_ step away from me.

Now I know I didn't imagine it. Something odd was going on.

"Akeno?" Ignoring the teacup for now, I rose up from my stoop and gave the girl in question my complete attention.

"Yes Emiya-san?" She sounded completely serene as she spoke, that smile of her still firmly in place.

"Is something the matter? You've been acting a little…off." I made sure to keep my eyes on her face as I spoke, carefully watching for any tells.

"Ara?" She blinked a couple of time, apparently confused, before tilting her head to one side "Whatever could you mean?"

She sounded sincere and yet, I couldn't bring myself to believe her. I couldn't quite put my finger on it but the way she held herself was a little off. It was tiny thing, something that I couldn't explain but it was there. So I decided to push her a little more.

"Really? You don't think you're acting a little bit different than usual?" I took one long stride towards her, and as expected, she retreated one step back, the distance between us not closing in the slightest. I shot her a deadpanned look, "Like avoiding getting anywhere near me?"

It seems that I may have misinterpreted the situation a bit. She didn't set the teacup so far away in an attempt to insult me, it was that she couldn't bring herself to come anywhere near me. Now all that was left was to try to figure out why.

"Avoiding you?" She gasped, politely covering her mouth with her hand, "Now why would I ever do that?"

"I don't know, you tell me." That was something I genuinely wanted to know.

"Now Emiya-san, I'm sure you're just imagining things. What possible reason would I have to avoid you?" Not missing how she never actually denied she was avoiding me.

"Is that so? Then you wouldn't mind me coming a little closer to you?"

"Not at all." I noticed how her smile began to look a little bit strained. "Go right ahead."

"OK then. Here I come." I warned before taking three full steps right towards her. And as I half expected her to, Akeno took three steps away, turning around so that she wouldn't run out of the space and bump into a wall.

"You're making it rather obvious that you're trying your best not to come near me." This time I did not stopping walking and continued to chase after her. "Will you just please tell me what's wrong? Tell me whatever it is and I promise I'll do my best to help out."

"Like I've been saying, I have no idea what you're talking about. There is nothing to help with." She smiled back in a manner that would have been utterly convincing if she hadn't been walking backwards around the table at the moment as I chased after her. Really, she wasn't even trying to be subtle anymore.

Maybe it would have been better for me to simply sit down and calmly question her, or even clear some space between us and walk to opposite side of the room but I couldn't. For some reason that I could not understand, let alone explain, every time I saw her take a step back away from me I was overwhelmed by an urge to take a step forward as well, as if to chase after her.

Is this why dogs kept chasing cats and passing cars? If that was the case I completely understood why. It was as if seeing Akeno run away had triggered some kind of primordial hunting instinct, commanding me to give chase, to hunt, and before I knew it ended up chasing Akeno around and around the table in some kind of weird game to tag.

This went on for a far longer time that I cared to admit, me asking her what's wrong and she denying everything and before long we were all but yelling to one another as we circled around the room at speeds just short of human limits.

"Just tell me already!" I demanded as we spun another circle around the room.

"And I keep telling you I'm not avoiding you." Even as she yelled out at me she didn't allow herself to smiling.

"Oh as if anyone would believe-"

*Ahem*

We froze, stopping in mid-stride as if reality had hit the pause button, at the sound of someone clearing their voice in what should have been an otherwise empty room. As one, we stiffly turned our heads towards the open door where Sona stood staring at us, with Gremory peeking over her shoulder from behind. Before either one of us could get so much as a word in she raised a hand.

"I do not want to know." She sighed, raising a hand to push up her glasses but aborting the action when the large stack of files she was holding her hand wobbled as it threatened to topple over and spill to the floor. "We don't have any time to waste, so just stop whatever it is you're doing and sit down."

Sona strode into the room and dumped the stack of files onto the coffee table, before walking to the small chair set at the head of the table and sat down, forcing the matter to a close. After sharing a quick glance with Akeno, we both silently agreed to drop the matter before turning to look for seats of our own.

I ended up on my own, sitting on one side of the table, facing the door with the windows to my back. Sona had taken the seat to my left while Gremory and Akeno sat down across from me. Now that I was aware of the Akeno's need to stay away from me, it came as no surprise that she took the farthest seat possible from where I was sitting.

"So," I began, taking in the tired looks Gremory and Sona were sporting, ""what exactly are we here for? All I was told was that Boosted Gear wielder has shown up and you girls needed me before Tsubaki took off before I could get so much as a word in." Giving the room one final glance before continuing, "And why here instead of one of your club rooms?"

"We're meeting here because neither of us want any of our Peerage members getting caught up in this." Sona pulled some files out of the stack and slid one copy over to each of us, "If any part of my Peerage found out about this they may try to confront her themselves." She blinked before sighing and adjusted her frames. "Ah, never mind. I had forgotten about Saji. Let me reiterate, they will definitely try and confront her if they find out."

"And my Peerage is scared enough as it is." Gremory rubbed her temples. "I spent enough time trying to get to come Koneko down from her tree already."

My mind blanked out for a second as I tried to picture that image before failing. "…I think I'm missing something here."

"Open the file and you'll understand." Sona nodded to the folder before me.

Flipping the folder open I found myself looking at a picture of a gray-haired teen as she smiled enigmatically at the camera. She, the student profile sheet that the picture was stapled to clearly stated her gender, was wearing a male uniform and seemed to be completely comfortable dressed up at such.

So, this was the new Red Dragon Emperor. I must admit though she wasn't what I was expecting, she certainly looked the part. I've seen pictures of the White Dragon Emperor before and the resemblance between these two were uncanny. Their hair, their build, almost everything is alike. If I hadn't known for certain that Vali was a single child I would have been sure that they had to be related. But going by her name it doesn't seem to be the case-

"Wait a minute, _Hyoudou _Karasuba?" I looked up from the profile sheet to stare at Gremory. "She's related to Issei? One of your own Peerage members is-" glancing down at the file, "- the _twin _of this generation's Red Dragon Emperor and none of you realized that out until now? How did you guys miss that?"

"That's what we wanted to know as well," Gremory rubbed her face as she replied, looking more frazzled than I had ever seen her, "we didn't know she even existed until the moment she stepped onto the school grounds the other day. I didn't even know Issei had any siblings at all before that, let alone a twin."

"We've spent the entirety of last night trying to find out how both of us screwed up so badly. That's why all of us are gathered here, to share all of what we've managed to find out about this _Karasuba_," Sona all but hissed out the name, "and afterwards, decide how we're going to handle the matter."

There was an almost oppressive atmosphere beginning to fill the room, steadily growing as the conversation carried on, and I had no idea why. Carefully examining everyone in the room, I began to realize how truly tired they looked. Though they were trying to hide it, now that I was looking for it was painfully clear how exhausted they were, even Akeno.

No, not simply exhausted. It was more than simply that, they looked almost desperate.

"Alright, what's going on?" Cutting straight to the heart of the matter I questioned the girls, "I thought it was weird enough that I was even invited to this meeting after you tried so hard to keep me away last time."

I haven't forgotten what happened with Issei, I doubt I ever would. When she last tried to get her hands on the Boosted Gear, Gremory had out right ordered me to mind my own business, and though Sona was more subtle about it, she too tried to get me to stay away by keeping me ignorant on the manner. But now? Now they had all but given me a written invitation.

"So what changed?" I met their eyes as I question them, "What could have possibly happened that convinced you to try to get me involved instead of doing everything in your power to keep me away?"

Gremory and Sona turned to each other, sharing a quick glance, communicating to each other somehow with their eyes. A heartbeat later Gremory nodded and Sona, with a tired sigh, turned back to me and answered.

"She's like Vali."

…Oh.

Ah well, that changes things.

Vali Lucifer was a monster, pure and simple. Saying that he was a little violent was like saying Berserker was a little buff. That man was as battle hungry as they came. And for her to compare Karasuba to Vali was in no way a good thing.

I could have interpreted Sona's statement in so many ways but given the context of the conversation there was only one thing she could have meant. Karasuba was dangerous. Not only as she was, but to the Underworld as a whole if she ever becomes a Devil. A repeat of the Valantime incident was all but guaranteed if she truly was anywhere near as bloodthirsty as Vali.

No wonder they wanted my help, I'm actually surprised they were content with just me. Had I been in their place I would have been begging their siblings help by now.

As comprehension dawned on my face, Sona gave me a grim nod, "You understand the problem then."

"Are you sure?" I had to ask. Though something told me they did not make a mistake this time, they had already dropped the ball when it came to the Boosted Gear more times than I care to count, and I had to make sure that this wasn't going to end up as another wild goose chase.

"Unfortunately, there can be no doubt." Sona pushed her glasses up her nose and leaned back into her seat. "We confronted her last night and though the meeting was not what I would call eventful, it went…" Sona visibly had to fight down a shudder.

"…badly." Gremory finished for her, "We were really lucky. We walked away unharmed, with nothing more than experiencing a bit of a scare to show for it."

"If you can call feeling so terrified that even a day later, I can still hear the battered remains of what is left of my courage, whimpering in some dark corner of my soul begging for me to leave it alone, 'a bit of scare', then yes we had a bit of a scare." Sona grumbled as she reached for my abandoned tea cup, and gulped down its contents in one go.

An awkward silence filled the room as we all stared at Sona, before Gremory turned to me, "Sona was with me in the club room when we first learnt about her. It was just after sunset and the parents had already began clearing out when Kiba burst in the room, carrying a hysterical Koneko over his shoulder.

"None of us knew what was happening then. All Kiba knew was one minute Koneko was fine, then the next she was having a nervous breakdown, and Koneko was too worked up to even speak let alone explain. It took me the better part of an hour to calm her down enough to get her talking again, and when she did all we could understand from her was that 'a human shaped dragon' had entered the school."

"It wasn't so hard to put the pieces together. The mystery of the missing Boosted Gear was still fresh in our minds so we immediately understood what a human shaped dragon meant." Sona stared down into her empty cup. "We knew we needed to find the wielder before we lost the trail again, so we rushed out to find her. Rias and me, along our Queens. Unfortunately finding her proved to be a more difficult task than of us imagined it to be."

"It was like with Issei all over again." This time it was Akeno who spoke. "The Boosted Gear is a Longinus class Sacred Gear, something like that, even when it was not actively being used should have blazed like a bonfire to our senses but there was nothing there, not even a blimp. She might as well not have even been there as far as our magical senses were concerned." She ended with a shrugged.

"With our ability to locate her no functioning, we had no way to effectively look for her. So with no other choice remaining, we had to resort to searching for her on foot, scouting the school and hoping she might still be here." Sona trailed off, still looking into her cup for something.

"And you failed to find her?" I hazard a guess when it didn't look like she would carry on.

Sona sighed and shook her head. "No, worse." She set her cup down on the table and looked at me. "We found her, or maybe it would be better to say she found us."

_It stalked the halls on silent feet._

"She was roaming the corridors."

_An empty smile pasted on its lips,_

"Just stalking through one hallway at a time, for who knew what reason."

_Narrowed eyes that looked through them as if they were not even there._

"We tried confronting her but it was as if she couldn't even see us. She just strolled past all of us as if we didn't exist, even calling out to her couldn't get her attention. So I reached out to grab her." Sona rubbed the wrist of her right hand with her left as she grimaced. "That, I admit, was a mistake."

_Her dismembered right hand fell to the floor with a splat. Sona stared down at her severed hand in bafflement before comprehension began to dawn. She tumbled backwards a scream already beginning to rip its way through her as she clutched at the empty space her right hand once occupied, only for the scream to die stillborn in her throat as she felt her hand, still there and attached to her arm, whole and unharmed._

_Rias, from where she stood on Sona's left, choked back a scream and clutched at her throat with both hands, surprised to find her neck whole, still binding her head to her body._

_They both looked up to find a pair of grey eyes, no longer hidden behind lidded slits, staring down them with utter boredom_._ Its lips, no longer adorned by a smile, was set in a grim line as it peered at them over its shoulder._

_The naked blade reflected the moonlight off it's edge from__ it was now being held in its left hand, gleaming like sliver in the darkness of corridor._

_The Devils stood stock still as they felt its eyes on them, petrified in terror, no longer wanting its attention now that they have finally gotten it. Nothing moved in the hallway as the Devils felt their lives hang by a thread as the Dragon gazed down on them, the bloodlust filling the air contrasting with the disinterest its eyes._

_Then it looked away, dismissing them as it continued stalking down the hall. Not sparing them another glance, having already forgotten their existence._

Sona took off her glasses to rub her face, before turning to look back at me. Though she tried to hide how shaken the event left, that she couldn't completely repress the trembling in her hand in spite of her efforts told me all I needed to know.

"It was horrifying Shirou." Sona eyes were wide as she spoke. "I was sure that I felt her rip my body to bits but she didn't do anything but look at us. Just a single passing glance and it felt as if she had already killed me. Then there was that sword. It appeared in her hand out of nowhere, it was like watching you or Kiba. One moment she was unarmed then next she was holding five feet of steel in her hand and for the life of me I have no idea how. What made it worse was that she was clearly intending on using it. I have no doubt she wouldn't have hesitated to cut us to shreds if we had so much as twitched ."

A shiver ran through the occupants of the room as everyone who was there recalled the event, their terror evident. Even Akeno shivered, though the way her face flushed red told me it was for a completely different reason. I decided to ignore the way she wouldn't stop rubbing her thighs together, something were too disturbing to think about.

In an attempt to change the atmosphere of the room, and get my mind off whatever it was Akeno was thinking, I looked at the stack of papers before me.

"What's all this supposed to be?" I asked flipping over the student profile page, finding medical records beneath it. Curious, I started flipping through the pages and found a whole assortment of different documents; birth certificate, old school grade reports, records of the Hyoudou family tree, printouts of newspaper articles among several other things.

"That is all the information I was able to gather on one Hyoudou Karasuba." Sona replied as she slipped on her glasses, "This is every piece of public information out there that there is on her, in addition to some not so public ones." At my look she elaborated. "While I rarely find the need, getting private and confidential information is not beyond my means. Though I find it rather distasteful and tend to avoid doing so whenever possible. The circumstances being what they are, I decided that this situation warranted it."

She nodded towards the files she had slid to each of us. "You can read through that later for more details, but for now I'll summarize what I was able to gather." Sona leaned back into her seat and shut her eyes before she started reciting.

"Hyoudou Karasuba, human, age 16 and current wielder of the Boosted Gear. Born to Hyoudou Ichirou and Hyoudou aiko, both ordinary humans with no notable lineage to speak of and no link to the supernatural world other than through their children. She stands at 170 cm, weights at 56 kg with grey eyes and hair. Though earlier medical records indicate that she was born with brown eyes and hair it appears that had changed sometime during her pre-teen years.

"She was born and raised here in Kuoh City until a few short months before her tenth birthday. Up to that point there was nothing particularly unusual about her. A top grade student, if one with a history of violence. Nothing severe, generally just school yards scuffles that had gotten a little out of hand but they occurred with enough frequency for the teachers to take note of it.

"She was also a kendo practitioner, a good one. She never participated in any competitions outside the city but she was a two-time winner of the city-wide twelve and under children's tournament. Many of the judges described her as a one in a decade talent, an upcoming prodigy. But other than that there was nothing that stands out about her history till just a little short of tenth birth day, when her parents abruptly withdrew her from school. They claimed that she needed more attention than a public school could afford her and would home-school her instead.

"That however was only the official reason, the truth of the matter was that Karasuba was never home-schooled, not by her parents at least. Approximately two days after withdrawing from School, Karasuba disappeared from the city. Where did she go I could not find out. There exists no records that so much as hinted as to where she had disappeared to. No flight reservations, train tickets, nothing. One day she was in the city the next she was gone. For all intents and purposes, the person known as Hyoudou Karasuba simply ceased to exist from that day.

"At least until several months later when she reappeared, only to disappear again a week later.

"This pattern would continue for the next six or so years. Karasuba would disappear from the city only to reappear again after a period of time, which would sometimes stretch several months, stay for a few days before disappearing again. There was no set pattern to her disappearance that I could determine. They occurred at seemingly random intervals and held no correlation with any holidays or seasons.

"The only constant thing about her disappearance was that she would always make sure to appear at the city in time for the mandatory annual exams held by the ministry of education. They were something that all home-schooled students needed to take. From what I was able to gleam though the ministry files, she appeared to have been ranked among the top scorers every time.

"This patterned continued until last month when the enrollment papers of one Hyoudou Karasuba had been submitted to the school, which was eventually accepted. This makes her, as of yesterday, an official student in Kuoh Academy. Her placement scores were exemplary enough that she was given the option of skipping a grade, which she accepted and is now enrolled as a senior.

"And that, is all I had been able to gather." Sona allowed her eyes to drift open after finally finished. She sat up in her seat before perking up.

"Oh yes, there is one more thing I forgot to add." Sona rapped her knuckles on the file before her. "This is something rather minor, but it appears she hates skirts. Or at the very least she refuses to wear them. Though there are no official rules banning girls from wearing pants at school, it was unusually enough that some of the staff tried to raise some objections, but she was able to somehow strong-arm her way through it all and managed to get permission to wear a male uniform."

Sona paused to rub her eyes. "And that is all the information I could find out from my end. There is nothing else to find, all the potentially useful data on her simply ended after she turned ten and all but dropped off the map. Everything I was able to get my hands on is outdated and reveals nothing about her character or current combat abilities, nothing that we can use to help us." Sona turned to Gremory. "Well Rias, I hope you had better luck on your end than I did."

The red-haired heiress shook her head. "Not much better than you, I'm afraid. We couldn't find much but thankfully what little we did find was good news. It seems that for once the Hyoudou bloodline is doing us a favour."

"Hyoudou bloodline?" Sona furrowed her brows before looking down to her files and pulling out the page on the Hyoudou family tree. "I wasn't aware that such a thing existed."

"Oh but it does exist, its just not a very good one." Akeno smirked slightly in amusement as she spoke "It turns out that Issei's issue with magic was not so much a personal flaw as it was a hereditary one. After we had trouble finding our Dragon last night I realized that I had experienced the exact same thing before with Issei. The reason why we did not realize Issei was a Sacred Gear wielder when he was human was because his abysmally low supply of Mana and, by the looks of things it seems that our resident Dragon appears to share a similar problem as her younger brother. While I cannot determine the exact amount, her Mana supply is low, unnaturally so. It's so far below the human norm that I haven't seen the like of it outside of Issei."

"Then at the very least we won't have to worry about her magical abilities." Sona nodded thoughtfully. "Her sword skills will still be a problem but still, that's something I guess." She turned back to Rias. "Anything else?"

"What about her Sacred Gear," I cut in, "are you certain it's that Boosted Gear and not another Dragon based one? And if it is the Boosted Gear has she managed to awaken it yet?"

While it seemed like a forgone conclusion no one had yet seen her Sacred Gear. None of them reported seeing anything like a red gauntlet in her left hand yet so for all we know it could be something else entirely.

"There's no doubt of that," Gremory nodded decisively, "Koneko wouldn't have reacted as she did otherwise. Besides, we felt it ourselves last night when we confronted her. Whatever else we may be unsure about Karasuba there is no doubt that she's a Dragon. And Dragon based Sacred Gears are a rare breed, only a handful exist that are strong enough to release that kind of presence. As the wielders for those Sacred Gear have been found already, with the notable exception of the Boosted Gear, it is the only one it could be."

"And while we lack any solid proof, it would be better to work on the assumption that she is at the very least aware of her Sacred Gear and possibly about the supernatural world." Sona added. "It's rare for a Sacred Gear Wielder not to awaken their powers before their teenage years. Except for a small minority, most of them awaken them by their ninth birthday."

I nodded, that matches with what I knew about Sacred Gears. "Alright, so until we find something that tells us otherwise let's continue working on the assumption that she has awakened her Sacred Gears and has some knowledge about the supernatural. What else did you find about her?"

A shake of her head was all I received from Gremory. "Nothing useful. Everything else we were able to find out about her was outdated, all from the time before she was ten. Like Sona had said, it's like she literately appeared out of nowhere, we have no idea where even to start looking for information."

"What about Issei, have you tried asking him?" Pointing out the obvious solution to the problem.

Another head shake was my answer. "It's no use. Issei is almost as afraid of her as Koneko is. From what little I've been able to piece together through the stutter that he seemed to develop whenever he talks about her, it becomes rather obvious that he and his sister aren't exactly close. All he could tell us was that she was sent away some place when she was around ten, that despite being away for most of the year she gets along with their parents rather well, better than he does in fact, and that she has no real friends to speak of. The only time he could remember anyone coming to the house looking for her was when that Exorcist dropped by for a visit. You know, the twin-tailed one, Irina I think."

"She's associated with the Church?" Concern clearly written all over Sona's face.

"No nothing like that. They were just childhood friends. It appears that Karasuba was far more sociable as a child than she is now and was the leader of a gang of neighborhood kids that Irina and Issei were a part of. He said that Irina dropped by to catch up on all times and nothing else, and as far as he could tell left in a happy mood so they must have gotten along well."

"Still, just because she's not part of the Church yet doesn't mean they won't try to use Irina to recruit her." Sona voice was grim as she contemplated the idea.

"No, that's not likely to happen." Gremory quickly put her fears to rest. "We were worried about the same thing but it looks like that any chance of Karasuba joining the Church is improbable at best. She's shown no concern over religion one way or another and Issei claimed if she ever end up meeting God the first thing she'd probably do was to try and pick a fight with him."

"That's a relief. The idea of the Church getting their hands on the Boosted Gear is a terrifying one, especially with a Wielder like her. The amount of damage she could do with a Holy Sword amplified with the Boosted Gear's power is terrifying." Sona allowed her shoulders to relax just a tiny bit at the news. "Still, at the very least it means that Irina has a better idea of what kind of person this Karasuba is, not that it does us any good. It's not like we could walk up to the Church and ask her for information under normal circumstances. Any goodwill we might have gained with the Kokabiel's incident was wiped clean with the permanent destruction of three Excalibur fragments," She then turned her eyes on me, "And then there is him."

"Me?" I looked around to find everyone staring at me. Why where they staring at me like that? "What did I do?"

That must have been the wrong answer because Sona just sighed and dropped the matter. "Anyway, that option is out. So is that it? Is that all we have?"

"Yes, everything else we found out on our end you already discovered or guess. Issei understandably tries to avoid sticking his nose in his sister's business so he knows next to nothing about her, not even where she's been for the last few years." Gremory looked to the side thoughtfully, "We considering asking her parents but since she seems to like them…" She grimaced.

"We could end up provoking her if we try anything too direct like that." Sona finished up for her, nodding in agreement. She sighed in frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose, "So that it then. It's not as much as I would have liked but at least it's better than nothing." She leaned forward, elbows on knees. "And as it appears we won't be able to gather any useful information even if we had more time, we must make due with what we have. So, how are we going to get rid of this problem?"

"What do you mean get rid of? What exactly are you planning?" A sense of unease filled me, worming its way into my belly. The last time they involved me in something like this someone ended up getting killed. Surely they weren't stupid enough to try the same thing again.

"What I meant is that we need to find a way to either get the girl out of the city or to at least minimize the threat she poses to us and everyone else living here." Sona locked her violet eyes with my own. "You may not know this Shirou but there is a reason why Dragons are solitary creatures. Their violent natures make them almost impossible to live in large groups for long. They either live alone or end up killing everyone around them.

"And now that we a young Dragon wondering about in our territory unsupervised, it's only a matter of time before she ends up destroying the city. Not _if _but _when_. And while I don't know about you I happen to like this city and I don't want to wake up one morning to find it turned into a pile of rubble just because she happens to be in a bad mood that day or because someone was stupid enough to try pissing her off."

"I agree with Sona." Gremory added. "I did a lot of research on Dragons during the time I thought Issei had the Boosted Gear, and everything that I learnt about them tells me that Sona might be understating the issue if anything. Dragons are dangerous, they're City-Killers. Even in the few instances where they don't want to hurt anyone they still end up getting people killed, their very existence makes them a magnet for trouble.

"Power attracts more power, and there is no Race more powerful than the Dragons. Supernatural beings of all kinds will flock to her, drawn in by her power. Before long Kuou will end up becoming a hotspot for supernatural disasters. It may have been different when she was younger and still maturing but now that's she's approaching her prime things are going to change. The only exception to this are Dragons who give in to other baser instincts, of the non-violent nature, such as to desire to breed or hoard treasure, and Karasuba is clearly not one of those."

Gremory looked to Sona. "Well, knowing you, you must have already thought of a plan already. Spill."

Sona steepled her hands and paused to think before speaking. "The way I see it, there are three ways we can go about handling this and none of them are a perfect solution." She looked around the room and raised one finger.

"The first is for one of us to recruit her into our Peerage," She quickly raised a second then a third finger in addition to the first after making each point. "And if that should fail our second option is to get her to work with us, even if she's not a part of our Peerage or a Devil we would still benefit from making some kind of alliance with her. And if all else fails, our third option is to persuade her to leave. While we'd have to give up on the Boosted Gear if it comes down to that, we'd at least get rid of the threat she poses to the city." Sona shrugged before adding as an afterthought. "Not to mention our lives."

"But Sona…" Gremory start only to be cut off.

"Yes, I know." Sona grimaced as she nodded to her. "When you take into consideration how she reacted to us last night, the possibility of us achieving any kind cooperative relationship with her is close to nil. I can't say for certain if we can open a line of communication without being attack but we have no choice but to try. Our only other option is to fight her head on and nothing good will come from that."

A silence settled in room when Sona finished speaking, each one of us too busy contemplating the situation to speak.

"Well, Rias." After giving enough time for us to stew in our thoughts Sona clapped her hands and spoke. "Still want the Boosted Gear in your Peerage? I'm willing to give you the first shot."

"Oh no," She shook her head violently, "my lack of Evil Pieces aside, I don't want her. There is no way I'm letting that woman into my Peerage, not with the way Issei and Koneko react to her. Poor Issei hasn't stopped shivering since he found out that his sister had enrolled into our School and Koneko, Koneko's even worse. She's completely terrified of her and I can't really blame her for it."

Gremory ran a hand through her crimson hair in a gesture of frustration. "As it is, she refuses to even stay in the same building as that woman, let alone get anywhere near her. Koneko can somehow tell whenever she's nearby. Just this morning she leapt straight out of the window the moment she sensed Karasuba setting foot on school grounds and disappeared."

"We ended up finding her hiding up a tree not too far from the club room. The poor dear was positivist petrified with fear and refused to come down." Though Akeno's tone was filled with concern to her fellow Peerage member, the smile that she was sporting told a completely different story. "Really, seeing the usually stone-face Koneko shivering and whimpering as she huddled up in that tree was such a…heartbreaking experience."

Every eye in the room turned to look at the smiling sadist with deadpanned skepticism.

"It isn't funny Akeno, Koneko was really scared. It nearly took me an hour to coax her down from that tree and you weren't helping." Gremory turned in her seat to reprimand her Queen.

Akeno calmly raised a dainty brow at her King. "I certainly was. What else would you call what I was doing?"

"How is yelling out, 'look, it's Karasuba', considered helping?" Gremory asked in exasperation.

Akeno's smile just began to take on an amused tint. "Well it got her down from there didn't it?"

Gremory leveled her best glare at her. "That's only because she fainted in terror and fell out of the tree!"

Akeno's smile just grew larger, "Yes, yes she did. That thump she made when she crashed into the ground was…awful wasn't it?"

Gremory actually growled in frustration at the sadist that as her Queen succeeded in getting her riled up, "I swear if Koneko wasn't a Rook and had gotten hurt I would have-" with an almost visible effort, Gremory forced herself to take a deep breath and calm down while simultaneously raising a hand to stop Akeno's retort. "Never mind, it's not important right now. What is important is dealing with the Dragon decide to take up residence in the middle of our territory."

Gremory turned away from her Queen and back to Sona. "As I was saying, even if I had enough Evil Pieces left, which I don't, I would not want her. She's a danger to my Peerage and, Boosted Gear or not, nothing is worth that risk. Plus as it is I don't have enough time to train a new Peerage member, I got my hands fully preparing my newest Pawn for the Youth Gathering.

"That's right, you got a new pawn last week. Seven full pieces correct? And barely in time for your first Rating Game." Sona's expression was an equal mix of incredulity and amusement. "Really Rias, your luck in stumbling over unusual Peerage members is amazing as always but even I have to admit that your last find is in a category of its own."

"Trust me, I'm learning every day how unusual my not so little pawn is." The small exasperated smile she was sporting belied her words. "But what about you then. Don't you want her?"

"No, I have no use for someone like her." Sona answer firmly. "Like you I'm uncertain if I have the required amount of Pieces necessary to resurrect her. Seven Pawns is not likely to be enough, but even were that not the case I do not want her. A Peerage member that I cannot control is less than worthless to me. And that is precisely what she is, a powerful rampaging Dragon that I have no hold over. And power without control over it will bringing me nothing but ruin in the end."

"So recruiting her is out, that leaves either driving her away or working alongside her." Gremory looked like she was being forced to swallow a lemon. "I'll be honest, neither option really appeals to me."

"Like I said before, unless you've thought of something I haven't we don't have any other choice in the matter."

I practically had to bite my tongue to stop myself from speaking. While neither of them were saying it they did have one more option. They could always ask their family for help.

The Sitri and Gremory Clans were Powerful. The sheer number of Devils that they have under their command was outrageous. No Ultimate Class Devils for sure, but they had more than enough talented individuals to help them in this situation. From expert fighters to first class negotiators, as Heirs to their respective Clans it was within their powers to summon of some of the most talented individuals in the world to help them.

All they had to do was ask their parents for help.

And that was precisely why I didn't bother to voice my opinion. These two were not stupid; if it occurred to me then they surely must have thought of it. That no one brought it up just meant that neither of them are even willing to consider it as an option.

These two were so desperate to get out of their siblings and parents shadows that they left the Underworld and tried striking off on their own in a completely different world. It was as reckless as it was stupid but they did it anyway. They had stubbornly refused all offers to help them no matter how much they needed it in their childish attempt of independence. How it managed to get to the point that their families were forced to guard them in secret I will never know but it goes to show how large a rebellious streak these two had.

And because of these children's rebellious Pride, they were more than willing to let a Longinus slip out of their Race's hands than ask their parents for help.

It was at times like these that reminded me I was dealing with teenagers. I have never been more gratefully than I was now that Rin, for all her flaws, had never been a normal teenage girl. If she acted like these two currently were, we'd both have been killed long ago.

Then again, letting a Longinus slip out of Devil's control might not necessary be a bad thing. Keeping something as powerful as the Boosted Gear outside of the Three Factions dispute might be good for everyone involved. The peace between the three is only tentatively holding on as it is. If a war should ever breakout, adding another Longinus to the mix, one with a battle thirsty Wielder at that, may just escalate the violence even further.

The last time Devil's had gotten their hands on one of the Heavenly Dragons, Valantime happened. An entire city wiped off the map over the course of a single day. Gremory was right when she called Dragons City-killers.

As it stands, it was looking increasingly unlikely that Karasuba will ever join the Fallen or Church Faction. With Vali firmly in their side, the Fallen's would not risk recruiting Karasuba. There was no way that either Albion or Ddraig would stand fighting side-by-side without killing each other and everyone standing between them. Having both Heavenly Dragons on their side may just end up destroying them, and as obsessive Azazel was over Sacred Gears even he isn't stupid enough to risk that. And if Issei's words were anything to go by, the possibility of Karasuba becoming a nun was nonexistent.

So I held my tongue.

There was no clear solution for this problem. No easy right or wrong. As it stands I had too little information to even decide whether the Devils recruiting Karasuba would be a good thing or not. Even simply approaching her carried its own risk. So I'll stand back for now, at least until I get a better picture of the situation, and just watch over these two to make sure no one gets killed.

Really, I'm just glad they decided to include me instead of continuing to try and deal with this on their own like they tried last night. And I'm not about to say anything that would make them want to exclude me. Who knows how much trouble they can get in to if I wasn't looking?

"The problem with the plan is getting her to talk to us. If we can't even do that much than nothing else we do will matter. But as it stand she would most likely attack us just for trying. We have to find a way to make her willing…want to…speak with…us-" Sona's voice trailed off as she caught sight of something over my shoulder. Her eyes went wide with disbelief before all emotions on her face disappeared as Sona donned her stoic mask again.

"Shirou." Her now cold eyes were locked onto mine. "By any chance, have you been talking with Karasuba?"

"…No?" I was so caught off balance that my reply came off sounding more like a question than a proper response. Clearing my throat I tried again. "I mean no. As far as I can recall I have never even seen her before in my life. Why?"

"Are you certain?" Her eyes never leaving mine for an instant. I was starting to get a little worried. Sona hasn't treated me like this since the first day I enrolled here.

"Yes, I'm sure." I frowned at her. "Why?"

Sona's eyes keep boring into mine, looking for something though I had no idea what. Before I knew it though, she relented, breaking off eye contact and releasing a small sigh before pointed over my shoulder at something behind me.

Confused by her actions, I turned to look around-

"_WHAT THE HELL!"_

I leapt from my seat and almost tripped over the coffee table in haste to get away. Without command my hands dropped to my side, open and ready to grab onto Kanshou and Bakuya, and it was only the knowledge that I wasn't in any immediate danger that stopped me from projecting them.

"That's why." I could barely hear Sona over the pounding of my heart. I didn't look at her, couldn't, not daring take my eyes off the source of my surprise.

Because there, staring straight at me, was the grinning face of Karasuba.

She was standing in the empty classroom opposite this one, peering through its window and across the courtyard to look at me. She was smiling pleasantly, her eyes narrowed into amused slits. When she noticed me looking back she raised a hand and waved, her smile widening just a nudge, enough to show a hint of teeth.

Despite her pleasant demeanor I have never felt more terrified in my life. Not since the first I locked eyes on Berserker did I ever feel anything remotely like this.

For all of the laid back manners she held herself and her easygoing smile, there was a something about the way she watched me that made my hackle rise. There was a hunger there, barely concealed behind her smile, that reminded me so much of a starving animal. The way she ignored everyone in the room to watch, her eyes never leaving my form even for an instant, tracking my every movement, just reinforced the idea and told me that whatever interest she had in me it wasn't benign.

I almost jumped out of my skin when a hand clasped on my shoulder. "Well, it looks like we found the solution to our problem." Sona declared. "Shirou, since it looks like you're having better luck than we did getting Karasuba's attention, we'll leave establishing a line of communication between us up to you."

"Wait-What! Are you insane?" I wanted to gawk at her but I didn't dare take my eyes of Karasuba. "What part of this looks like it's going well? I think she might even be stalking me!"

Another hand clasped into my other shoulder. "Now now, don't be so modest Shirou." Gremory seamlessly jumped to Sona's aid. "Look, she clearly likes you." She pointed at the abomination that was grinning madly at me. From the edge of my eye I could see how her smile faltered as she looked upon Karasuba before steeling herself and carrying on. "Who knows, you may end up being friends."

She then turned to look at Sona. "So we agree to leave Karasuba to Shirou for now?"

What! No, I don't want to-

"Agreed." Sona, you traitor!

"Well, now that's settled. I've got some other work to deal with" Sona, along with Gremory, released their hold on me and turned to leave. A happily smiling Akeno trailing after them. "I need to prepare my Peerage for the trip to the Underworld and I'm already late enough as it is. If I hurry I might squeeze in enough time to catch up on some lost sleep."

I heard the door open up behind me as all three girls began exiting the room.

"Wait, Sona." I began backing away to join them at the door, not to wanting to risk my back to her. Karasuba didn't react to my departure, she just kept tracking me with her eyes as she continued to smile in amusement. "I didn't agree to anything yet. And I'm leaving for the Underworld too; I'm not even going to be here to handle her."

Sona didn't even bother turning around. "Shirou, Rias and I have already tried talking to her and you know how that turned out so now it's your turn to give it a shot. Besides, weren't you sent here to protect us? I'm sure my sister would be rather peeved at you if didn't help us out when we needed you. "

Oh, so _now_ you want help! What happened to that damn independent streak of yours when I need it?

"As for the Underworld," Sona's footsteps halted before she got too far, "Well I supposed that can't be helped. You'll have to postpone meeting with her until we get back. She's been living here on and off for the past sixteen years. Waiting a few more days shouldn't make too much of a difference."

By this point I had somehow managed to reach the door without tripping over anything, and already had one foot out the door before I stopped, an idea occurring to me. It was a stupid one, but given the circumstances it might be my best bet into getting an insight into her personality. Reluctantly, I focused my attention back on Karasuba.

She hasn't moved a single step the entire time. Still standing calmly next to the window and smiling pleasantly at me, and other than how the edge of eyes crinkled in amusement by my actions, she might as well have been a statue for all she moved.

Taking a deep breath, I tossed away whatever hesitation I had remaining, along with any sanity, and gazed into her soul-

"_**ALBIIIIOOOOOOOONNNNNNNN!"**_

I have stood before Demons who ruled the very depths of Hell, Heroes from ages long gone and Angles who walked in Heaven's hall, yet they all paled before the might of its roar alone.

It held so much hatred, power the like I've never even seen of before. Even slamming my hands over my ears could not block it out. It rattled my very bones and strained my eardrums till they threaten to burst. The sheer sound of it made me incapable of thought. It forced its way into my head and filled my mind with its presence, pushing out every thought I had so that nothing remained but it.

When I finally came to, I found myself kneeling on the ground with my hands clasped tightly over my ears, panting as if I had just ran a marathon. I didn't know how long had I been there or how much time had passed since the roaring ended, but when I finally found enough courage to risk removing my hands from my ears all I could hear was the unceasing rattling of chains. And when I looked up, what greeted my eyes was-

_-crimson red._

Scales the size of trees filled my vision, shifting and slithering smoothly together like water over the surface of a river. My body broke out into a sweat just by standing near the scales; the sheer heat that radiated from it was overwhelming, caressing my face as if it was a physical thing. It was like standing before an open flame, one the size of a forest fire. It encompassed everything I could see, towering over me like a cliff and as wide as a mountain range.

Then the mountain moved.

A serpentine head reared up from the mass of scales, snarling hatefully up at the empty skies. It blocked half the skyline with its mass as it stared upwards with blood-red eyes, its slit-like pupils filled with an ancient malice and unending rage. Ivory fangs, larger than I was tall and as sharp as any of my blades, were exposed to the open air as it snarled up in open hatred at the sky.

Like ant on an elephant's back, that is what I felt like when I stood before the Dragon.

Then, as if to take a bite from the very sky itself, the head shot up wards, jaws wide open, only to jerk to a stop, pulled up short as the chains that bounded it had reached the end of its length. The Dragon snarled in frustration, tongues of flames flickering from its lips as it turned to look down at its entrapped body.

They were colossal, as ancient and mighty as the Dragon that it bound. Like a serpent coiling around its prey, the chains wound around the Dragon, ensnarling and binding it. It wrapped around every limp, trapping its wings to its side, shackling the child of the sky to the ground.

It was rage and unending hatred. Power in a scale that I have never seen before, never even contemplated could exist. Not Kokabiel, not even Sirzechs could compare to this. Like a bonfire before a Sun, the difference was so far that they could not be measure or compared to one another, this being made a mockery of everything I had once considered powerful.

Yet for all of its power it was trapped.

In this prison of nothing but chains the Dragon was made helpless.

A growl rumbled from its lips, shaking the earth beneath my feet, before the Dragon snorted in annoyance, twin puffs of smoke erupting from its snout. It looked away from the chains and back up to the sky, eyes narrowed hatefully at something I could not see. Then the Dragon opened its jaws.

A howl filled my ears as the Dragon's chest expanded, widening it's already colossal size, the air drawn into its gaping mouth, past it's ivory fangs and down its throat into its body. I stared at the Dragon in confusion before I realized what it was doing and quickly slammed my hands over my ears.

But I didn't need to.

"Oh cut that out you old geezer." The Dragon whipped its head to the side, glaring at the source of its interruption. "Your last roar almost busted up my eardrums so keep it down, I'm watching something here."

"_**Hatchling**_!" The Dragon snarled, "_**Mind your tongue and do not forget your place. Or have you forgotten who I am?**_"

The Dragon rose to its feet, and it was like watching the earth trying to reach out and grab the sky. It strained against the chains and pushed it to the limits of its length before it reared its head back and announced.

"_**I am the Ddraig, The Heavenly Dragon that stole the principles of Domination from God. I laugh at infinity and-.**_"

"Yeah, yeah, like I never heard that before." She rubbed a pinkie in her ear. Karasuba had her back facing the Dragon, and consequently me, not even bothering to turn and look. "Really, can't you think of something else to talk about old timer? It's always the same thing with you. Whenever you're not bragging about how mighty and great you are, you start raving about Albion instead. Has all the time you spent rotting here made you go senile or something?"

"_**You Dare! Hatchling!**_" It reared back before bring its entire bulk crashing back down, sending tremors racing through the ground. It charged at Karasuba, who was still calmly looking away, only to be stop short of reaching her, held back by the chains. Even then it didn't stop pushing, straining against the chains as it's jaws snapped at her back, just inches short of reaching her. Finally it began to calm down, and simply resorted to glaring at her uncaring back with eyes filled with twisted malice and more than a little madness. Finally it snorted, smoke puffing from its nostrils, "_**Where you not my instrument Hatchling you would have paid dearly for that.**_"

"_**But no matter,"**_ It craned its head back and loomed over her, its reptilian mouth forming into a wicked grin. "_**For my vengeance I will bear much, even that insolent tongue of yours. For you will be the instrument of my revenge, an extension of my will. You are my weapon, one that will rain death and destruction upon my enemies. My Enemy. Albion will fall before you, this I command! When the time dawns you will strike Albion down, rip him to shreds along with his pathetic Wielder and all that stand by him-**_

"Yeah, yeah." Karasuba spared a bored glance at the Dragon "Can't you talk about anything else old timer? For years It's always Albion this or Albion that with you-" Karasuba's eyes widened in shock as she caught sight of me.

Ddraig noticed her reaction and followed her sight, and when he discovered his reaction was less than pleasant.

"_**What is this? Abomination!" **_Maddened eyes turned to me, widening before they narrowed as it bared it's fang at me in a snarl. "_**You dare trespass in my domain Abomination! Uninvited you appear, sneaking like a thief in the night and you think to do so unopposed. Unpunished? Arrogance!"**_

The last words were roared out with such force that the shock wave made the air as solid as stone when it slammed into me with all the force of a speeding train, lifting me clear off my feet and-

-And my eyes snapped into focus again as I found myself back where I had started at, in the classroom turned meeting room.

Karasuba was staring at me with eyes filled with pure shock and disbelief, her composer lost, before her head snapped towards her left arm where a red gauntlet appeared, the green jewel embedded in it flashing in a raged frenzy.

When she turned back to look at me, she had dropped her mask of civility. All pretense of humanity gone as her lips split into a bloodthirsty grin and her widened eyes stared at me in hunger and madness.

I leapt clear out of the room, heeding my instincts as they screamed at me as one to get away, slamming the door behind me as I hurried down the corridor and away from my possible stalker.

You know what? Maybe Sona had the right idea all along. Dealing with Karasuba can wait until I get back from the Underworld. Yes that sound like a wonderful idea. After all.

What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

***Chapter End***

**Author's Notes:**

**After so long I finally got to release a chapter. The last couple of months was hectic I tell you and I'm glad I was able to squeeze in the time to get this out.**

**And let me answer this as I'm sure some of you will ask about it, Yes this is the start of the Rating Game/ Youth Gathering arc. Yes it's going to be an action packed arc, filled with everything from fights that are curb-stomps to multi-chapter epic battles (which I hope I can do justice). And yes, everyone's favorite fried turkey will be showing up. And finally, yes Rias got a new Pawn, and it's a Canon character that everyone reading should know pretty well. Can you figure out who?**

**Now, this chapter and the next will be more of a set up stage. I need to prepare things before I can truly get the story rolling but when it does expect an action packed arc filled with twists and turns.**

**We had out first real glimps at Karasuba. ****There is a puzzle in her history, something that will give you an insight to her personality, one that I hope some of you can piece together as the story progress. There is far more going on beneath the surface with her, and that's all I'll say for now.**

**And that's it for this chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed it and please tell me what you think.**

**Note: a quick clarification,** Karasuba is not as strong as Shirou, nowhere near, and everyone in the room knows that (one of the reason why Sona sent Shirou on his own is because she knew that he was in no danger). She, boosted gear or not, is still human with all the limitation that comes with it while Shirou is a Devil. That along with all the NP he had plus anti-dragon swords would all but guarantee him victory. But just because someone isn't stronger than you doesn't mean that they can't creep the crap out of you out.

Sona's fear of Karasuba has little to do with her power and more about her behavior. To her, meeting Karasuba was almost like standing before a rabid dog.

There is also that matter that Shirou isn't a reliable protagonist, what he thinks aren't fact but his interpretation of reality. What he see and what is actually going on are different.


	16. Chapter 16: We're all going to Hell

**Chapter 16:**

**We're all going straight to hell**

* * *

"That's a train Shirou."

I nodded while looking around, making sure that my Peerage was all here and accounted for. They were, but I double-checked just to be sure. I didn't want to accidentally leave anyone behind, as it wasn't like we could turn back and pick them up. We were going to another world after all. "I'm aware of that."

"We're going to Hell…by train." Xenovia stared at the open door to our carriage in clear distrust. "That is a literal train ride to Hell, and you're asking me to get on it."

I pondered on her words before nodding, "Yup, pretty much."

Beside me, Xenovia was dressed up in the same black suit and tie that she had been wearing when we first met. In her hands, wrapped in black leather gloves, she griped a sheathed longsword, one that I had given her a few days prior.

Xenovia just sighed and crossed her arms "Well, I did say that I'd follow you to Hell and back." She thought on it for a moment before nodding decisively. "Very well, if that's the way things are, so be it. I was prepared for this when I became your Knight. Though, I do admit, out of all the possible ways I imagined I would end up going to Hell, this wasn't one of them."

"How did you imagine it then." Finally giving her my full attention now that I made sure everyone was accounted for.

Ramiel and other Fallen were here, I couldn't tell exactly where but I could sense them well enough by now to know that they were nearby. Asia had already climbed aboard, having already been through the trip once before so was no longer excited by it.

I could see Shirone and Gasper on the other side of the platform, in front of the carriage that belonged to the Gremory Clan along with the rest of their Peerage mates, while Sona and her Peerage were a little farther away behind them, standing in front of her own Clan's carriage.

Gasper was hiding inside of a cardboard box that he had found somewhere, and it was only due to a pair of pink glowing eyes that I could see peeking through the box's hand holds that I knew he was there. Apparently when he found out that he was to be taken outside again he had scurried into the box and refused to get out, the armor I made for him had already fallen apart under the strain of his power and was now worthless, and instead of dragging him out by force, Kiba had graciously volunteered to carry him here instead.

Shirone was still dressed in her school uniform, just like the rest of us, none of us had bothered to change out of it, but rather unusually she had her tail out. It was lazily whipping left and right while her stoic face looked in my direction, amber eyes narrowed in clear displeasure towards me. Or to be more precise, they were aimed towards the little occupant currently resting on my back.

Ilya had fallen asleep on me again on our way here, and instead of forcing her to wake up I decided to carry her. When I had arrived home after I had finished my business with Sona and Gremory at school, while making sure I wasn't being followed by my new stalker, I expected to find everyone to be packed and ready for the trip to the Underworld. Instead I came back to find my home in shambles as if a miniature hurricane had run through it, with an exhausted Ilya sleeping smack down in the middle of it, clothes and hair disarrayed.

It seemed that while I was gone, Shirone had decided to drop by for a visit, or more accurately, she drop by in an attempt to flee from a certain someone at school. And that was how Ilya and Shirone ended up meeting for the first time.

Ilya, despite her unusual background, was in many ways a completely ordinary girl in regards to her tastes. She liked to shop, play games, dress up and universally loved all animals that were cute and cuddly. With but one notable exception. Cats. Ilya really, really didn't like cats. I had no idea why she didn't, maybe because she was more of a bird person than anything, but the point was Ilya never could stand cats.

And Shirone was pretty much a cat.

I was not quite sure exactly what happened; Asia claimed that they took one look at each other before Ilya said something along the lines of 'there can only be one of us', then they began to fight. By the end of it my house was a total mess and Ilya ended up so exhausted that she was all but asleep on her feet when I forced her up.

For once though, I was lucky. Since we were planing to leave the house today, I didn't need to worry about the mess. Serafall had already planned to send some contractors to renovate the place a bit while we were gone. Expanding the house and adding more rooms in case I ended up needing it, so I had already packed away anything important. Everything that had been ruined was furniture that Serafall had intended to replace anyway, so it was no real loss.

From behind me, I felt Ilya nuzzle happily into my back as she muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, 'Berserker, kill the kitty'.

I had to repress a shudder as the sheer joy she spoke that phrase caused me to flashback to the Holy Grail War. Not for the first time I was thankful that Berserker was no longer with us. Even if Ilya had adored the guy, that didn't stop me from being absolutely terrified of him. It was called having a survival instinct. And while I had no idea if it was possible for Servants to be Reincarnated into Devils, I had no doubt that if he was still here Ilya would sure as hell try. And a part of me was horrified of what would happen if she succeeded.

I could not even begin to imagine the kind of damage Ilya would cause if she had a Rook enhanced Berserker under her command but I knew there would be a large dip in the population of the Supernatural species around the world if she had.

Yes, it was a good thing for everyone that he was gone.

Deciding to simply stop thinking about it, I quickly turned to my blunette Knight, "So if not like this then how did you imagine you'd end up in hell?" I asked, more in hopes of taking my mind off Berserker than any real urge to know.

Xenovia shrugged her shoulders, "Oh the usual, with brimstone and hellfire as the Devil rips my soul out of my body and drags me down to damnation while I screamed in terror and beg for mercy." She shrugged again. "Pretty much how any human would imagine going to hell would be like." Then she nodded though the open carriage door, "What I didn't imagine was taking a train ride to Hell in what appears to be a luxury first-class carriage. Though I have to admit, if you're going to end up in Hell, this is the way to go."

She had a point there. Looking inside our designated carriage, the one reserved for Maous, their Peerage and personal guests, it was clear that it wasn't a typical carriage that you'd find in the Tokyo Underground. This was something straight out of a movie.

The walls of the interior was covered in expensive wood-veneered panels while the floor was coated with a rich lushes carpet that I knew from experience would sink under my weight. Swivel armchairs lined the walls with plenty of space in between them, with adjustable TV panels attached to their right arm rest. A small marble topped bar was set on one end of the carriage, no doubt stocked with every kind of drink imaginable, both of the alcoholic and nonalcoholic variety. The place even had its own bathroom with a large shower and even larger bathtub installed.

All in all it looked more like a gentleman's lounge than a train carriage, but after my stay in the Underworld things like this no longer surprised me. Devils generally were an ostentatious bunch and you could always count on them showing off their wealth. Kuoh Academy was a perfect example of this. Sometimes it felt as if that school building had more rooms in it than it did students.

What makes it a real waste was that Devils' rarely ever bother using the train. I might have been able to understand why someone would pour so much money on something like this if it was going to see regular use, there is nothing wrong with making your life more comfortable if you could afford it, but to spend so much on something that you would only use once a decade at most was an astonishing waste of money to me.

Normally Devils would teleport directly to the Underworld through the use of magic circles. And while it could take hours or even days to set up a stable link between the human world and Underworld, depending on the conditions in the Dimensional Gap, once the circle was established the trip was instantaneous, infinitely faster when compared to the two hours needed when traveling by train.

Which was why the train to the Underworld was rarely every used. Most Devils preferred teleporting directly rather than sit through the long train ride. Only newly Reincarnated Devils who have never entered the Underworld before needed to use it. It was basically for security and bureaucratic reasons more than anything. The train stations at the entrance to the Underworld contain scanners and equipment that would identify new Devils and registered their magic signature into the database as well as create identification documents for them.

From the open doors of the carriage, I spotted Serafall sitting on one of the chairs, spinning around in it like a child, while somehow still managing to hold a conversation with Asia who was in the seat next to her. I also noticed that Asia had a pile of neatly folded T-shirts on her lap that I knew she didn't have when she boarded the train earlier.

Xenovia shook her head, her bangs swaying. "Actually, Devils as a whole were nothing like I pictured them to be. Take the Queen of Hell for example," She nodded towards Serafall, who stopped her spinning to look at Xenovia the very instant she mentioned her title, as if she knew we were talking about her and, considering a Devil's heightened sense of hearing, she probably did. "I had always pictured her to be a mentally unstable individual with delusions of grandeur and godhood."

"And now?" I asked, curious about what opinion she had formed about my King, and going by the twinkling in Serafall's eyes, she was too. "What do you think of her now?"

"Now I realized that the Queen of Hell is an _extremely_ mentally unstable individual with delusions of being a Magic Girl." Xenovia stated frankly, the idea of lying or being less blunt probably never occurred to her. She cocked her head to the side and frowned in thought, "And I'm honestly not sure whether that makes her less or more terrifying that I originally expected her to be."

Instead of being offended, Serafall's eyes just started twinkling even brighter as she stared at the girl that had just called her mental to her face. "…you know Shi-chan," She yelled out from across the carriage, "I think I may end up liking her. She's like one of those really smart people that don't have even a lick of common sense, isn't she?"

…And if that wasn't the kettle calling the pot black than I didn't know what is.

"And now I'm going to be riding the same train as her for next two hours." Xenovia sighed and crossed her arms, "If someone had told me that this was how my life would turn out just six months ago, I would have asked them what they had been drinking."

"Regretting it?" I asked, though I already knew her answer.

"Never." She answered resolutely, her reply instantaneous.

I couldn't stop the edge of my lips quirking up at that. If there was one thing I had learned about Xenovia during was how unbelievably stubborn she could be. Once she got an idea into her head, there was nothing that could ever change her mind. It didn't matter if that idea was dangerous, foolhardy or even if it was right or wrong, once she made up her mind there is nothing in Heaven or Hell or anything in between that would make her change it – even if that idea happened to be a completely stupid one.

She will regret nothing, running on her chosen path even if to the bitter end.

I had the feeling that even should she someday realize I wasn't Arthur – something that I hadn't stopped trying to convince her of – she wouldn't care. A part of me suspected that she may have had a better inkling about who I really was than she let on, but for some reason that hasn't stopped her from proclaiming that I was the one true king whenever she found anyone willing to listen.

"Have you gotten used to the sword yet?" I asked while eyeing the weapon in her hand.

Xenovia scowled at the question, not hiding her distaste about the subject, before answering almost reluctantly. "It's…a beautiful sword Shirou. Well balanced, solid and has an edge so sharp that it could easily match against the fake Excalibur Destruction and come out ahead. But…"

"It's not your sword." Picking up when she trailed off.

While it didn't apply to me as my whole fighting style revolved around using multiple swords, I understood why someone would feel uncomfortable using weapons other than their own.

There was a bond between a sword and it's user. Noble Phantasms, weapons that only existed because they were part of a Heroic Spirit's legend, was proof of that. Saber herself still favored Caliburn, her original sword, over even Excalibur, though it was the lesser of the two blades. And while it had only been a short while since I had given that blade to her, hardly even a couple of months, she had gotten remarkably attached to it.

Still, just because I understood didn't mean I could allow her to use it.

Xenovia nodded in agreement at my words, displeasure clear on her face. I sighed. "Xenovia, I told you that sword is extremely dangerous. At your current skill level your just as likely to end up hurting yourself than an enemy. Until you master it, you'll have to make do with the spare."

Still scowling, Xenovia nodded, "I understand Shirou, I truly do. I do have some experience with carrying around dangerous swords you know. As I am, I'm not ready to wield it. I know that better than anyone. But still, it just feels… _wrong_ to carry another sword in my hands."

I noticed how the fingers of her empty hand seemed to twitch, clenching and unclenching , as if it longed to summon the blade in question from where it lay hidden. It currently rested in the same dimensional pocket that she had stored Durandal, but I knew she rarely left it there for long.

She'd take it out every chance she could, whether to practice with it or to simply hold the weapon and feel its weight in her hands. Honestly, it was almost scary how quickly she became attached to that sword, practically obsessed. It reached the point that I wouldn't be surprised to find out that she slept with the thing, cuddling it like a child would a teddy bear.

Ordinarily I wouldn't have been too concerned over the matter. For a sword enthusiast like Xenovia, it was only a natural reaction to owning one of my swords. It would have been an understandable reaction if the sword I had given her was one of my weaker Noble Phantasms. But to ended up with one of the more powerful ones, well, I couldn't blame her for latching onto it so strongly, especially when taking into account the recent loss of Durandal.

In a way, she may have even seen the sword as proof that her choice to follow me was the right one. That she had lost the right to wield one of the strongest swords she knew of, only for it to be replaced by something far stronger, it must have vindicated her decision. So I could understand.

No, it was not her reaction to the sword that bothered me but it was the sword that had me worried. Really, out of all the swords she could have chosen, why did it have to be that one?

Even though I had known her for less than a week at that point, it became almost painfully clear that for all of her outward confidence that she displayed, Xenovia had been feeling more than a little bit insecure with the loss of her sword. From what little I understood of how the Church's hierarchy functioned, that was understandable.

The reason Xenovia was so highly valued by the Church was not for her skills or loyalty, but because she was Durandal's chosen wielder. In their eyes, it was not the swordsman that was important, but the sword itself. To them, Xenovia was just that one that held it, a valuable asset but not an irreplaceable one.

Almost the entirety of Xenovia's sense of self-value had revolved around the sword, and with Durandal's loss Xenovia self-confidence seemed to have taken a big hit. With Durandal no longer by her side she seemed to doubt her very value as a Knight, which was perhaps the most foolish thing I have ever heard.

What did a sword mean to someone like me? What value could Durandal possibly hold that I could not replace with but a thought, or easily match and surpass its splendor a hundred times over and more?

Even had the Church gifted me that blade, I would have no idea what to do with it. I was more likely to end up giving it away than anything. So no, unlike the Church it was not the sword that I saw value in but the one who held it.

When I look at a sword, any sword, a copy of its existence would be added to my Reality Marble, along with everything that made it up. And the glimpse I had caught of Durandal during the fight at the school grounds was all I needed for that to happen.

Now in the mindscape that was my soul stood a perfect copy of the sword, and with it came all of the history etched into its blade. I know every drop of blood it spilled, every battle it fought in and every swordsman that held it in their hands. Including Xenovia.

The hours after endless hour she would swing that blade, till her hand bled and calluses formed and harden, and still she would not stop. For year after year she would carry on swinging, spurred on by dreams of chivalry and knighthood born from the childhood stories that her mother told her as she drifted off to sleep, protected within her mother's arms.

It may have been a childish dream that had no place in the modern world, a world where knights only lived in legends and the title of king was synonymous with dictator, but still, it was a pure dream, sincere in a way that only children could make them.

Through the sword I learned of her, knew her in a way few others could. I knew that she would neither waver nor regret anything once she had chosen her course, the she held in her a determination that bordered on bullheaded stubbornness, one that wouldn't be swayed by danger nor reason.

I knew that so long as I did not betray her trust, she would forever be my Knight. And would follow me to the hell itself without regret or hesitation.

Xenovia was someone far more valuable than Durandal, that she would not believe that truth did not make it any less true.

Still it was undeniable that every swordsman needed a sword to call their own, so not long after I had made Xenovia a Devil, I decided it was time to get her a proper blade. Something that would be hers alone. Searching through my memories, I had decided on a dozen blades that suited her style and asked her to choose one among them.

Naturally, I couldn't give her the best among my Noble Phantasms even if I had wanted to. Those were not weapons that could be wielded by anyone, with the exception of myself only their original owners could use them, but that didn't mean I skimped out either. I had a lot of swords and could easily afford to give away some of them, it was not like I couldn't make more, so I found the best blades that she could wield and offered it to her.

So you can understand my surprise when she ended up rejecting them all after barely a cursory glance.

I admit, it hurt me. To see my beloved swords dismissed so easily was surprisingly painful. Now this might just be my Pride speaking, but these weren't the types of swords that you took a single glance at before looking away. No, these were weapons that were worthy of your entire attention and more.

There were swordsmen out there that would give up their sword arm just to wield one of them for a single day, there were Kings that would trade their entire kingdom for the least among their number. I mean sure, they weren't the best that I could make but you do not just dismiss any of _my_ swords like they were nothing damn it!

And perhaps that it was Xenovia out of all people who ended up dismissing them was what really made it sting. I could have shrugged it off if it came from someone like Asia who knew nothing about swords, but for the only other swordsman in my Peerage and a fellow sword enthusiast, who I knew had a good eye for quality steel, to reject them all outright…I got to tell you, it really stung.

But I persevered and kept trying. I took to it as a challenge, one I knew I would win. If there was one thing I had confidence in, other than my cooking, it was the quality of my swords. Given enough time, I had no doubt that I would be able to find one that matched her needs.

I was wrong.

I had summoned swords that could cut through steel like paper, cursed blades that would prevent any injuries inflected by its edge to ever heal, weapons so powerful that it could make the Gods themselves bleed. I conjured a hundred and more, and yet she rejected them all.

Finally, tired, fed up and more than a little hurt, I simply dragged her into my Reality Marble and told her to choose one for herself.

To my surprise, she went and did just that.

She searched for two days.

I did not know why she was so driven, what made her so obsessed with finding one particular sword that she did not even know the name of but for two whole days and nights, with neither pause nor rest, Xenovia walked through the endless fields of swords searching, seeking… something, what I did not know for sure. She either would not or could not tell me.

Had we been back in my old world, I would not have been able to maintain my Reality Marble for any real length of time. Even Archer, a Heroic Spirit, could only maintain it for but a handful of minutes at most. But here, in a world where the Age of Gods has never ended and magic was as thick as the air we breathed, it was child's play. I could hold it for as long as I wished, so long as I could maintain my concentration my Reality Marble would not fall.

Yet even I had my limits, and maintaining the Unlimited Blade Works for two whole days was pushing it, if for physiological reasons rather than magical ones. Devil or not I still needed to sleep and eat. And just as I was about to call Xenovia back and try to convince her to stop for a time, she returned…holding the impossible in her hands.

Not every weapon in my Blade Works could be wielded by anyone. In fact, most of them couldn't. Only a small fraction among their number were weapons that Xenovia could ever learn to wield.

And that sword wasn't one of them.

Yet somehow, she proved me wrong.

It came to life to in her hands, illuminating a rippling light like sunlight reflecting off the water's surface, alive as if it belonged in her hands though I knew its true wielder was long gone. It was in a way a miracle, something that should not have been possible but was.

It was also a traitor's sword; steel stained with the blood of it's comrades and forever tainted by the sins it has been forced to commit.

Out of all of the countless of blades in my Reality Marble, for her to choose that one and be chosen by it in turn…Well, I couldn't help but feel that it was a rather ominous sign for things to come.

A loud ringing echoed throughout the train station, signaling that it was time to depart.

"Well come on," I called out to Xenovia as I walked forward to board the train, "We better get going. This thing has a fixed schedule and will leave with or without us inside it."

I heard footsteps from behind me as Xenovia followed, "I wonder how Hell is like." I glanced back to find Xenovia looking down at her clothing. "If it's as hot as I imagine it to be then I may have overdressed."

"Actually the Underworld is usually pretty chilly." I informed her as I took a step onto the train.

"Ah, that makes sense," She nodded as she bordered the train after me, "It's only natural that Hell has frozen over by now."

* * *

"I thought you said it was supposed to be noon?" Xenovia asked while she tilted her head upwards to get a better look up at the blacked sky.

"It is noon." I answered as I led the group towards the mansion.

We had managed to make it to the Underworld and through the gates of the Sitri estate without anything going wrong, which was a relief after chaos that occurred on the train ride over here, something that I admit wasn't entirely unexpected when I considered all of the different personalities that were crammed into a single carriage. Though naturally Serafall was still the worse of the lot.

What ever possessed her to try and dress up my Pawns up like the Ninja Turtles I did not know, but most of the train ride was spent with Serafall chasing the terrified Fallen around the carriage with four multicolored ribbons in her hand, a pair of eye holes cut into each of them, as she tried to tie them around their heads. Ilya didn't help either, having woken up from the commotion of the chase and ended up joining in. Ramiel and the others tried their best to get a way but, well…

I spared a glance over my shoulder to where my Pawns trailed after us, no longer bothering to conceal their presence like they usually did. They were slumped over, whether in exhaustion, shame or defeat I could not tell, but they were each sporting a strip of colored cloth wrapped around their faces, right over their eyes. Serafall deemed that Ramiel, as their leader, would wear the blue one while, Shax wore red, Valec purple and Xaphan orange.

Seeing their defeated expression I silently vowed to allow them to remove the ribbons as soon as Serafall got bored with the idea. Until then, they had to deal with it. I wasn't stupid enough to intervene in their behalf, knowing only too well that Serafall could have easily prepared a costume for myself and dragged me into the mess. I knew for a fact that Serafall had a Magical Girl costume tailored for my size hidden somewhere, skirt and all, and there was no way in hell was I going to give her an excuse to use it.

So like any man with survival instincts I decided to sit back and ignore the way my millennia old Fallen Pawns wailed like little girls while an actual 5 foot tall girl chased them around the carriage. Even the greatest heroes knew that there were fights that you simply could not win.

Besides, a small part of me had to admit it was nice being able to tell them apart for once, something that I hadn't had any success in so far though not for a lack of trying. They were all identical with their uniform on and since they I had never seen them take their masks off I had no idea what anyone of them looked, like let alone how tell them apart. Something that I had a feeling they were taking great pleasure from.

"Then why is it so dark," Xenovia still had her face turned upwards, eyes scanning the sky for something, "And where's the sun?"

"On the other side of the world where it belongs." I informed her while we made our way to the mansion. "It's kind of stuck there."

Gremory had already left for home as soon as we exited the train, taking her Peerage with her, staying only long enough to get Issei and her newest Pawn registered and sparing a quick goodbye to Sona. We too left not long afterwards, needing a bit more time as we had more Devils to register, but as soon as that was done we all teleported to the Sitri Estate.

Serafall, Ilya, Asia, Sona along with her Peerage had been sent straight into the mansions, all of them already registered into the primary Bounded Field. Xenovia and my Pawns however were not, which meant they had to take the two hour long trek from the gates to the mansion, with me along to guide them of course. A car had been offered to pick us up but after the train ride I could use the chance to stretch my legs a bit so I declined. Luckily none of use had any luggage to carry, having been sent ahead directly from earth before we even left the station.

Above us a full moon hung in the cloudless night sky, surrounded by countless brightly shining stars. The night sky of the Underworld had a violet hue to it compared to earth's dark blue, and the stars shone far brighter due to a lack of light pollution but other than that and the bigger moon, they were pretty similar to each other.

Xenovia tore her eyes away from the sky to shoot me a perplexed look, her brows furrowing in thought, "…What do you mean it's stuck there? It's a sun, not a balloon caught in the branches of a tree for God's sake-_OUCH!_." She clutched her temples as a sharp pain assaulted her, before she grimaced and continued walking, "That's still going to take a while to get used to. Anyway, how can a sun get stuck? And if it is stuck, then how can anything survive out here with no sunlight?"

I had wondered that myself when I first came here and it still took me a while to get my head wrapped around the idea.

"From what I understand it the Underworld's axis of rotation is tilted completely sideways compared to earth," Using my hands to demonstrate, "so what would be this planet's North and South Pole would be were earth has it's equator. So, even though the planet spins, only one half it ever sees sunlight. Constantly too, the sun never sets in the northern hemisphere since it's facing the sun, while the southern hemisphere is faced away from the sun so it's always night here."

"As for how we can survive without the sun," I glance out to either side of the road we walked on, where mile after mile of green grass stretched out all around us, as far as the eye could see. Trimmed hedges surrounded the distant mansion up ahead. An orchard, if the ripe fruits dangling off its branches were any indication, grew a fair bit away on our right. It was hard to believe that so much greenery could grow, let alone thrive in a place like this. "Devil's don't need sunlight. This world doesn't need it either."

Save for the light of the stars and what little was reflected off the surface of the moon, it was lightless out here, nearly pitch black. Had I been human I wouldn't have been able to see a thing, not even the nose on my very face, and would have been forced to wander around blindly. But I was no longer human, and my surroundings was as clear to me as if it stood under the light of the noon sun.

The entire Underworld was like this. Dark, empty of street-lights and other sources of illumination. Who would even need them? Devils needed nothing more than the light of a single star to see in the dark, anything more was unnecessary.

It was why the stars shone so brightly here. With no light pollution to compete against, the stars shone with a brilliance that was rarely ever found on earth anymore.

"The Underworld has always been this way, even in the Devil's earliest records and in the memory of the most ancient inhabitants of this world, this place has never known the light of the sun, never felt it's touch. Yet life, as it always does, still found a way to survive. Plants adapted and learned to make do without the sunlight, substituting it with other more bountiful sources, like the magic in the air and ground or the light from the moon and stars."

Devils were a nocturnal race, beings that felt right at home in the darkness of the night. They detested the sun, as even the faintest brush of it's light was enough to tire them, sapping them of their strength. It was only natural that the environment that birthed them reflected their nature.

And it was for that very same reason that the Fallen Race had been able to find a foothold into the Underworld so many millennia ago.

Even before the start of the Great War, long before Devils had discovered a way to breach the Dimensional Gap and reach the human realm, the northern hemisphere had always been devoid of Devils. Why would they want it? Why live in hardship, toiling under the harsh rays of the unabating, unforgiving sun when there was the soothing comfort of eternal night instead. The northern hemisphere was an inhospitable land to the Devil Race, one that only the mad and masochistic among their number would ever wish to live in, and even then never for any length of time.

And it wasn't as if they needed the land, the Devil population was meager compared to humans, even back then. With no oceans in this world, there was an abundance of land for Devils to live in. So much so that expanding their territories to the northern hemisphere was never even considered.

Which was why when the Underworld was invaded by the Fallen they found none willing to oppose them. For when they came in their hordes of millions, and raven wings blotted out the very sky with their numbers, they did not attempt to conquer the densely populated southern half of the Underworld, but the abandoned northern half.

Angels were in many ways the total opposite of Devils, for they were beings created from light. And Fallen, twisted as they had become, were still Angels.

Even after they were stripped of their Holy powers, denied entry to their home and deprived of their Father's favor, Fallen were still creatures born from light and nothing, not even their Fall could have change that. They needed light like humans needed water.

To Devils the northern hemisphere may have been a desolated wasteland, to the Fallen, it was as close to paradise that could be found outside Heaven's gates. So though the Underworld was completely under the Devil's domain at the time, the Fallen met little resistance when they arrived.

Who would oppose them? What Devil would be willing to sacrifice their lives and that of their men to protect a land that no one wanted? To fight as the unsetting sun weakened them with every passing minute, sapping their strength and draining them of their vitality, as all the while it did the opposite to their enemy, revitalizing them and restoring their vigour.

Had the Maous of old tried to gather their forces, they would have been forced to enter a battlefield that favored their enemy, all to fight over a land that they could not use or survive in. So the Maous never even tried to stop them, whether because they could not imagine the Fallen Faction would end up becoming so entrenched in the Underworld or because they could not bring themselves to care about what happened in the north.

And due to those events of long ago, the Underworld was now divided into two. The northern hemisphere became the domain of the Fallen, while the southern hemisphere belonged to the Devils.

Xenovia just started up at the sky then lowered her gaze to look at the surrounding greenery before she looked away and slowly shook her head. "This… is a lot to take in. Nothing is how I expected it to be."

"Let me guess, you imagines a world made entirely of fire and brimstone with rows of unfortunate sinners that were stupid enough to sell their souls lining the road, screaming in agony while their Devil torturers cackled in glee over their misery."

Xenovia thought it over for a moment before slowly nodding and looking away, embarrassed. "When you put it like that it does sound stupid but a part of me was expecting something along those."

"To be fair, what you heard of the Devils aren't entirely inaccurate. There are many Devils like that, far more than I would have liked." I explained to her while waving an arm to indicate our surrounding, "What we are seeing is the Underworld – the planet. It had has been here long before the Devils Race even existed and it has nothing to do with them other than the fact that they happen to live here. Just like how the natural wilderness on earth doesn't represent human nature, the Underworld doesn't reflect the nature of Devils."

I waited a moment, allowing the slightly overwhelmed Xenovia to absorb my words before giving her what I hoped was a sympathetic smile. I remember all to well how it felt like to be in her place, overwhelmed by a new world that was nothing like my old one. "And if you think what you're taking in right now is hard then I'm afraid it's only going to get worse before it gets better. There's is still a lot of things you need to learn about Devils. Hell, there is still a lot of things I still need to learn. That's part of the reason why I brought all of us along on this trip. Watching this year's Young Devil's Gathering should be a good learning experience for us all."

Xenovia had been looking more down as I explained how much harder it was going to be, slumping over a little bit more the more I continued speaking and I could easily picture a small storm cloud over her head, however as soon as I mentioned the Young Devil Gathering she perked up.

As I had quickly come to learn, Xenovia was a swordsman through and through. Though she had a good head on her shoulders she always preferred to talk with the edge of her blade rather than words. And like most swordsmen I had ended up knowing during my life, there was almost nothing she loved more than a good fight. And with her new-found Devil strength she had been itching for a chance to test it herself.

But unlike warriors such as Lancer who seemed to expel bloodlust and barely restrained violence at the prospect of combat, Xenovia instead remind me of a kid in a candy store as her eyes lit up with glee and an excited grin appeared on her face, looking nothing like the veteran swordsman I knew she was.

Though barely a heartbeat later, her excitement seemed to extinguish and her grin fading as she recalled an important detail. "Are you sure we can't participate?"

"Sorry Xenovia but there is no way that's happening." I gave the disappointed girl an apologetic look, "This year's gathering is going to be chaotic enough without adding myself in the mix. What with Sairaorg, Riser and the other Heirs." However after seeing her downtrodden look, I decided to toss her a bone. "Tell you what, though we won't participate in the gathering doesn't mean we can't fight in a Rating Game. I was thinking of setting one up as soon as I collected enough members for my Peerage anyway. So if you want we can fight in one after the gathering is over."

That seemed to perk her right up again and Xenovia gave me an empathetic nod at my proposal. Really, while at first glance Xenovia appeared to be the most level-headed and rational member of my Peerage, under the surface she was as eccentric as the rest of them. At times she seemed to hold herself with a poise of professionalism, exuding an air of total competence. At others however, she reminded me of a naive and overly eager child.

Shaking my head at the antics of my Knights, I turned my mind back to the upcoming Young Devil Gathering and the trouble it would no doubt bring. It was just my luck that my first year as a newly Reincarnated Devil would also be the year that held the most anticipated gathering since the creation of the Rating Game.

The Young Devil's Gathering was a tournament aimed towards the younger generation of Devils, thus the name. It gave young and inexperienced Kings a chance to show off their Peerage by pitting them against equally young and inexperienced opponents. Compared to the other Rating Game tournaments where you could end up facing opponents with centuries of experience, this tournament was designed to give newly created Peerages a chance to face enemies they have a realistic chance of winning against.

The rules for participating in the tournament was simple enough, there were only two prerequisites that candidates needed to meet. The first was that the King of the Peerage must be between the age of twenty-five and eighteen. The second was that while Kings are allowed to have participated in Rating Games before, the first of those games must have occurred less than a year ago and must number no more than nine games. If any of the two rules are broken then the King in question would no longer be eligible to participate.

The rules were designed so that it took into consideration that most Devils do not have a full Peerage by the time they reached their eighteen year. By extending the age limit to twenty five it gave the young Kings more time to gather their Peerage members. I personally think that the reason why the age limit is so large is to teach the younger participants a lesson. The longer you're willing to wait before participating in the Young Devil's Gathering, the larger the advantage you have. While younger and more eager Devils like Sona who join at their first opportunity would be at a disadvantage.

Normally the Young Devil's Gathering was a fairly small scale affair. A small to mid sized tournament at most. Considering the small birthrates of Devils it was understandable that there would be a shortage of young participants.

This year however, The Young Devil's Gathering was an entirely different affair.

Sairaorg was participating.

The Strongest Youth Sairaorg Bael, the most powerful of the newest generation of Devils was going to enter this year's Young Devil's Gathering. Though he was only twenty-one years old Sairaorg is widely acknowledged as the most powerful Devil born in centuries, not since the birth of the current Maous had anyone with as much raw potential as him existed.

He stood head and shoulders above anyone else in the current generation and even from the generation before that. He was so powerful that many speculated that he may one day become a Maou himself.

Sairaorg Bael was a King among his peers, towering above them all, which was why when it became known that he was entering this year's gathering every Devil that was eligible to participate jumped at the chance to join in.

For when a Devil looks upon a King, they do not just see someone to respect, someone to bow down to and obey. They see something more. They look upon the King as he sits upon his throne, with a golden crown gracing his head and jewelled rings dotting his every finger. They see the authority he wields, how other Devils bow and scurry for his favour and think, 'that could be me sitting up on that throne'.

The King known as Sairaorg was entering the fray, where he was vulnerable, and everyone was looking for the chance to topple him from his throne. For that was how the way things worked for Devils.

The current Maous did not inherit their position as the leaders of the Underworld, nor were they elected because they were most qualified for the role. No, they became Maous by slaughtering their predecessors, kicking their still cooling corpses off their throne before taking their place upon it, and placing the bloodstained golden crowns upon their brows.

In the Underworld, you could only become a true King by toppling the old one. And everybody wanted to be King. And in this year's gathering, they saw their chance to take down this generation's King. It was a tiny, minuscule chance but it was there, so the Devils came in droves.

For the first time in history there was over a hundred applicants in the Young Devil's Gathering, almost four times the previous record of thirty two. There was so many that a new rule had to be imposed, limiting the number of participates to only sixty four. A trial was to be held in a couple of days time to weed out the candidates and decide on who would earn the right to participate.

I barely withheld a snort. I personally thought that the entire thing was the height of stupidity. Had there been anyone strong enough to take down Sairaorg then they would have fought him and had it over and done with by now. Any of the participating Devils that thought otherwise were delusional. But I guess hope matched with a grand enough prize always had a way of making fools of us all.

Well, it doesn't really matter to me. For once this would be someone else's mess to deal with. All I had to do was stand by Serafall's side as she presided over the tournament and look pretty as I did so. At worst, the most I had to worry about was making sure Serafall behaved and keep her out of trouble, everything else was someone else's job.

"We're finally here." I was pulled out of my thoughts by Xenovia's cheer. I looked to my left to discover that she had taken a turn down a side path that branched off the main road. "I knew the mansion was going to be huge but this is more than I ever expected. This place is massive Shirou, bigger than most of the cathedrals I've visited."

"Xenovia," I called out to her, causing her to pause and glance back at me over her shoulder, her eyes questioning. "Where do you think you're going?"

She blinked at that before pointing down the road she stood on, at the mansion that laid at it's end, "To the manor of course, where else."

The mansion she was talking about was indeed massive. Three stories high, made from cream colored bricks with a beautiful red-tiled roof. A good two dozen windows lined the wall of the first floor of the mansion alone, and there was an Olympic sized pool not too far in front of the large double doors that was the main entrance to the place. Taking a rough estimate, I would hazard that the mansion held a hundred rooms within it's walls.

Unfortunately, while the place was beautiful it wasn't our destination. I have said before that Devil's were an ostentatious race, showing off their wealth every chance they could, and the Sitri Clan wasn't an exception.

I raised a hand and pointed to the mansion she was walking towards, "Xenovia, that isn't the Sitri Manor. That's the servants' quarters." I then turned and pointed down the main road. "_That_ is the Sitri Manor."

Xenovia turned to look at where I was pointing at, before her jaw dropped as she caught sight of it. The manor that was still a ways off, but even from here it was obvious that the place was much larger than the other mansion, at least five times bigger. Sadly I knew the place was actually bigger than it looked.

Devils, if there ever was a race that was genetically predisposed to show off, it was them.

* * *

Imagine if you will, what would happen if you combined Santa Claus with a particularly grumpy dwarf. Now hold that image in your mind, dye his hair raven black, give him a pair of round wire glasses before popping a half smoked-cigar into his mouth. If you can picture that then you have a perfect image of what Stheno Sitri looked like, the head of the Sitri Clan and was Serafall and Sona's father.

The man who honestly looked like a stumpy, grumpy Santa Claus, was seated on an expensive high back chair, looking positively tiny in it, as he glared at me with pure loathing and murder in his eyes, while chewing a cigar in his mouth.

I did not know why Stheno hated me, only that he had from the first time we met. He took one look at me and for some reason I couldn't understand then nor since, decided that he detested the very ground I walked on.

But I didn't hold it against him, how can I possibly hate someone that looked so much like a tiny Santa Claus? It was impossible. He even wore suspenders for Christmas's sake. You had no idea how hard it was for me to resist the urge to sit on his lap and ask him for presents, something that I always wanted to do as a child but never had the opportunity to in Fuyuki.

From her place by my side, Serafall's eyes seem to twinkle as she watched me. It was as if she knew exactly what I was thinking. I studiously ignored the subtle way she kept elbowing my sides, her way of egging me on to try it.

Sadly, there was no doubt in my mind that the only reason why I even had the crazy thought in the first place was because of her influence on me, which only seemed to grow with every passing month. I shudder to think what I'd be like a decade from now, and I feared that the future version of myself maybe so far gone that he would actually dare try sitting on Stheno's lap.

"It appears that you have acquired a few new additions to your party during your stay in the human realm." A voice spoke up, drawing my attention away from Stheno to the matching high back chair on his left side, that was currently occupied by a lady dressed up in a woman's business attire. The violet colored eyes that peered through her black framed glasses had once felt so alien to me, but had now become a familiar sight, having seen it on two other faces. Currently those eyes were locked onto the frame of her eldest daughter. "Tell me my child, have you finally came to your senses and decided to expand your Peerage? Or are you still obstinately insisting on remaining with but a single Queen."

Looking at Liliana Sitri, it was obvious that this was where Serafall had gotten her looks from and Sona her personality.

The violet eyes that had been inherited by both of her daughters, adorned a face that would have been a perfect copy of Serafall's if it weren't for the slightly narrower features and the perpetually stern expression she wore. Something I doubt I'd ever see Serafall wearing.

Her inky black hair was pulled back from her face, tied in a low-ponytail that grew down to the small of her back. And unlike her husband, who was squat and round, she was slender and tall, the top of her head reaching just past my shoulder when standing.

Even as she sat on what I knew to be a very comfortable chair, Liliana maintained an air of grace and formality that I had rarely seen anyone pull off anywhere near as well. She had her hands folded over the book on her lap, her back straight but not stiff as she watched over her daughters, somehow managing to give the impression that she was looking down at us from a great height despite being seated.

She was always like this. Whenever I had seen Liliana in the past, she always appeared to be carrying herself in a manner that was equal parts elegance as it was formal. A no nonsense demeanour that instantly alerted everyone in the room that they were expected to be on their best behavior without needed to be told so, but she did it with enough grace that instead of appearing rigid and overbearing, it made her come off as natural.

It was something that I had seen Sona attempt to emulate many times in the past but never could quite pull off. Lillian made it look effortless, as if she put no thought to it than she did breathing, yet while Sona had to work hard for it and still comes out short.

We, as in Serafall, Sona, Tsubaki and me, were currently within the Sitri Manor, inside it's grand library. The air was thick with the distinctive smell of old books, dried ink and dusty pages, a scent that was universal in libraries everywhere.

Row after row of tall five meter shelves, stuffed to the brim with books, scrolls and ancient tomes, stretched out from all around me, lining the walls filling every conceivable scrap of space in the room. At first glance the place looked like a labyrinth, it's tall shelves acting like the walls of a maze, making it all too easy to imagine getting lost within it, yet somehow the members of the Sitri Clan never seemed to have any trouble navigating the place.

I had once spent a solid two hour searching for a book with no luck, then spent another twenty minutes trying to find my way out again, yet it took Serafall only a couple of minutes to find and retrieve the book when I asked for her help.

There was only one part of the library that was free of books, an oasis of space in a place that was otherwise crammed to the brim with them. It was the reading area, a large pocket of open space located on one side of the library, near the entrance. And it was there that we currently stood.

In the middle of the space sat a long wooden table with half a dozen chairs lining on either side, while a fire burned within the large fireplace that was set onto the wall, magically shielded to prevent the fire from spreading. In front of the fireplace was a tiny table, bracketed by two high back leather chairs.

And sitting on those chairs were Serafall's parents, Stheno and Liliana Sitri.

"Mou, Mama~," Serafall stretched the word out while childishly puffing her cheeks out. I could have sworn that I saw Liliana's eyebrow twitch in irritation at the immature title Serafall referred to her by but she hid her reaction so quickly that I wasn't sure if it had happened or if I just imagined the whole thing.

"I already told you, Shi-chan is all I need. So stop trying to make me get more." Serafall punctuated her point by thumping her staff on the ground. "And they are Shi-chan's Peerage not mine."

Stheno took a moment to glance at Serafall, actually managing to crack a tiny smile at his daughter's antics before he immediately went back to glaring at me. I wonder what he would have felt if I told him that his glaring only made me want to reach out and pinch his cheeks? Liliana just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose while shutting her eyes, a habit that reminded of Sona when she was stressed, or more accurately it was Sona that reminded me of Liliana.

Despite not having seen each other for months, both Stheno and Liliana were acting unusually distant to both of their children, showing no signs of the affection that I knew they held for them. The Sitri was a close family yet you'd never think it looking at them now.

When I and the newest members of my Peerage had finally arrived at the manor a few minutes earlier, the four of us had gathered up to meet the with the heads of the Sitri Clan. Yet when we finally reached Stheno and Liliana, they did not greet Serafall and Sona with the welcoming hugs or kisses you'd expect from parents after a long time apart from their kids. They didn't even bother rising from their seats when we entered the room.

They were behaving less like parents welcoming their children home and more like superiors granting an audience to their subordinates.

And that was because this was exactly what it is, an audience and not a meeting between parent and child.

Even in the human world, the older a civilization becomes the more attached they get to meaningless traditions. And Devil society was _old _in a scale that human civilization cannot begin to compare to_, _which meant that they have consequently became extremely attached to their meaninglessly traditions. I still recalled how Sona had insisted in formally requesting my help in training her all those months ago even though no one other than herself would have known or cared if that didn't happen.

Tradition dictates that when returning home after a long leave of absence, a member of a Clan is to greet and report to the head of the house at the first reasonable opportunity. This goes double if they brought along any guests or have new additions to their Peerage.

For the length of their stay, guests fall under the protection of the host, thus making it the Clan's responsibility to keep them safe, so it was only natural that they needed to greet the head of the Household when they enter. And new Peerage member needed their approval before they could be officially added as a member of the Sitri Household, only then could they be registered into the Clan's Bounded Fields and gain access to their resources.

Which was why instead of wrapping their children up in hugs like I knew they wanted to, Stheno and Liliana treated them like they would any other member of the Sitri Clan while Sona stood rigidly in attention before them, with an equally stiff Tsubaki by her side and a step behind, while Serafall was acting...well, like Serafall.

If there was anyone who found the Devils' love of tradition more irritating that I did, it was her. As a Maou and no longer part of the Sitri Clan she was under no obligation to go along with this like Sona did but she knew her parents ate this kind of stuff up, so out of fondness for them she was willing to indulged them a bit and showed a remarkable amount of restraint by not taking her antics to their usual level.

While I knew Stheno and Liliana would end up showering their children with affection later on, in private when all of this nonsense was over and done with, for now they stuck to their tradition and played their roles as the head of their house, even though no one else but family would know if they bent the rules a little and acted like parents.

Then again I was here, so maybe this entire show was partly for my benefit and they would have acted differently had they been alone. I wasn't close enough to either of them to tell for sure.

"Well, that is better than nothing I suppose. At least he's proving to be good for something," Liliana relented while lowering her hand from her face and gazing back into her eldest child's equally violet eyes. "As you are so set against gathering any more Peerage members for yourself, it is only natural that his would have to serve in place of your own. I trust that he has the foresight to select adequately skilled members."

Sona spoke up, saying something in reply but I had already stopped paying any attention at this point so I wasn't sure what. It was pointless trying to involve myself in their conversation even though it was about me and my Peerage, I would only end up being ignored if I tried. Which was fine by me so I just stood silently next to Serafall and began to mentally tune everything out.

Throughout the entire meeting Liliana made a point never to glance in my direction or even acknowledge my existence beyond what was strictly necessary. For all that Liliana was as different to her husband as night was to day, appearance-wise at least, they did share one thing in common; their mutual disapproval of me. It was only their method of expressing said disapproval that differed.

Where Stheno would glare sullenly at me every chance he could, Liliana just pretended I didn't exist. She almost never spoke to me directly, always using anyone who happened to be nearby to deliverer her message, and she never called me by name either, usually referring to me as her daughter's Queen or even boy at times.

Though I did not understand _why_ Serafall's parents disliked me so much, I never let it bother me. A part of me found it rather amusing that beings thousands of years old could act so childlike. And it wasn't as if they mistreated me in anyway, outside of being ignored or glared at they had pretty much left me alone, doing nothing to bother me and even granting me access to the Clan's resources and command over their warriors should I ever need it.

So while I knew whatever was bothering them wasn't bad enough to worry over, it was baffling, especially when you compare their treatment of Ilya to me.

They simply adored Ilya, having taken a shine to her from their very first meeting when she had curtsied and introduced herself with all the demeanour one would expect from someone raised in an aristocratic household such as the Einzbern. I was not sure if it was her because of her manners, her childlike appearance or something else entirely but for whatever reason they made her feel welcome and treated her far better on her first day alone than they ever did to me since, something that I couldn't help but find a little unfair. What was it about me that made them hate me so much?

As it was, I had learned to simply ignore them and overall it seemed to be a pretty effective solution to the problem. Well, other than the urge to glomp Stheno that kept cropping up whenever the little Santa glared at me.

"I'm sure you're still tired from your trip and our new guests are likely to need your help settling in, so I won't keep you here any longer." Liliana nodded towards the door, her dismissal drawing me from my mental wandering. "Be sure to let them know that they should not hesitate to ask the servants for help should they find their accommodation lacking."

Sona, knowing she had been dismissed, obediently bowed and began making her way to the door with Tsubaki mimicking her actions. Serafall however did no such thing. Instead of following her younger sibling's lead she, to no one's surprise, ignored protocol completely and pranced over to her mother and wrapped her arms around her, giving her a huge bear of a hug, partly lifting her off from her seat as she did so.

Had it not been such an unladylike behavior, I was sure Liliana would have rolled her eyes from where she dangled in her daughter's arms, but instead she sighed and reluctantly allowed herself to return the hug, knowing her daughter well enough by now to realize that she would continue clinging onto her like a limpet until she did.

A beat later Serafall released her mother and pranced over to her father who, seeing her approach, smiled and lowered his head, allowing Serafall to plant a kiss on his brow. Though he immediately returned back to glaring at me again as soon as Serafall pranced away.

And that was the end of the meeting. Once we were done here, I knew that Stheno and Liliana would find a way to meet up with their children later in the day and give them a proper reunion then. I, on the other hand, needed to hurry to Xenovia and my Fallen-Pawns and help show them around before they got into any trouble. I had left them under the care of Asia and Ilya, and it didn't take a genius to realize that was a potential disaster waiting to happen if they were left unsupervised for long. So with that in mind, I silently followed after my King as she made her way out the library. I was just glad we got this meeting over and done with so quickly.

But it seemed that I spoke too soon because we had barely made it halfway to the door when Liliana called out.

"Serafall dear," We turned to find that Liliana had returned to reading her book, holding it up to her face with one hand, while in the other she held out an empty glass toward us. "I seem to be out of water. Would you be a dear and refill my glass for me?"

Serafall looked from the glass her mother to the pitcher filled with water on the tiny table between her parents, well within arm's reach of both for them, before she shrugged and chirped, "Sure." quickly making her way to towards the table.

But again, just as she had begun to reach out and pick up the pitcher, she was interrupted by Liliana.

"No, not from there." Serafall turned to look at her mother in confusion only to find Liliana staring back at her, book abandoned on her lap. She held up the empty glass towards her daughter, her eyes intense and unblinking. "I'm afraid it has gotten rather warm. Conjure me some fresh water instead, a single glass full would do. It should be a simple enough task."

Immediately I knew something was wrong.

Serafall, the ever cheerful fun loving full-of-life Serafall, who seemed to always have a smile on her face, mischievous or otherwise, looked like she had been slapped. Her face drained from colour as she staggered a step backwards, staring at the woman who birthed her as if she didn't recognize her. I had never seen Serafall look so genuinely startled as she did now.

Sona looked as if she too had been caught off guard at the request, her jaw dropping slightly and her frames slipping down her nose while she stared at her mother in shock. Even Stheno blinked twice in surprise and suspended his glaring in favour of giving his wife a questioning look. But he must have understood something because he soon turned to watch Serafall with would I could have only describe as a look of anticipation on his face.

The atmosphere in the room which has so far been relaxed and relatively laid-back despite the formality, quickly become strained. The once cozy library became thick with tension, and for the life of me I had no idea why.

What was the big deal about conjuring some water?

"Mother, allow me to-" Sona began, taking a step forward towards her mother, only to be halted before she could take a second.

"Be silent Sona!" Liliana barked out harshly, her voice sounding unusually loud in the silent library for how rarely she ever raised it, her eyes never looked away from the still shell-shocked Serafall, "I was asking your sister, not you. Now," Liliana once again held out the empty glass towards her eldest daughter. "Would you be so kind as to fill the glass?"

Though she phrased it as a question, everyone knew she wasn't asking.

Serafall always – _always – _carried some kind of expression on her face. She was the type who wore her heart on her sleeve, you only needed to glance at her to tell what she was feeling. And over the past year, I had thought I had seen it all. I had seen her laugh in pure happiness, smirk mischievously as she set someone up for a prank. On the rare occasion I had even seen the glimmer of cunning in her eyes, confirming what I already knew, that behind her goofy personality lied a very keen mind.

And in those rare private moments that she showed to no one else but me, I had seen her worried. Her face scrunched up with anxiety as she bared to me some of her greatest fears, over her sister's safety, over family, and even over me.

Before today, I thought I had seen all there was to see. But I was wrong.

I had never seen Serafall look scared before.

Serafall stared blankly at her mother, her face so devoid of feeling that it was startling. It was a face that was so un-_Serafall _that I scarcely could recognize her. Blank, so stripped of emotion, so...empty that I scarcely recognized her. It frightened me.

Her mother stared back, her eyes cold, hard and unflinching, holding the empty glass between them.

What the hell was happening?

Unlike most of the occupants in the room I was bewildered. I had no idea what was going on or even why everyone was overreacting over such a simple request. Conjuring water was elementary magic, something that even the most incompetent of Devils could cast. If it was only a glass full then there were even kindergarten aged Devils that could do it.

It was such a simple spell that someone as untalented with general magic like myself could do it, hell even Xenovia had cast it just a few weeks earlier when Asia had begun teaching her how to use her magic. She had even gotten it on her very first try. It was that easy.

And for Serafall, it was even easier. She was a Sitri by blood, a Clan whose entire magic specialized in water. The Sitri Clan earned their position as one of the 72 pillars because of their water affinity. Their affinity was so powerful that it granted them the potential to create enough water to flood entire city blocks in less time than it would take me to blink, and at a fraction of the cost in Mana it should have.

And yet they were acting as if they had given Serafall, the most powerful female Devil of her time, an impossible task by asking her to conjure a little bit of water.

Again, what the hell is going on?

Why was everyone acting like this? Well not everyone, I quickly corrected myself, it looked like Tsubaki was just as confused as I was. Her eyes were dancing around the room as she tried to piece things together without bring attention to herself, and when she caught my questioning look she gave me a tiny almost imperceivable shrug, telling me that she had no better idea of what was happening than I did.

In the time it took me to realize all of this, Serafall had finally began to move. It wasn't much but some colour seemed to return to her cheeks and she managed to drag her eyes away from her mother and down to the empty glass held out to her.

Time passed. A minute, then two, in which no one moved as we all watched Serafall as she in turn stared at the glass.

Then, just as I had decided enough was enough and was about to step in and put an end this nonsense, I heard her.

"...Alright." The word that drifted from Serafall's lips was more whispered than spoken.

She picked up her staff, the one with tipped with a golden star, and held the point towards the glass. Her tongue peeking out as she licked her dried lips before she shut her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she slowly exhaled and allowed her magic to gather. And I sensed it.

Serafall had only drawn a small amount of her Mana, a metaphoric drop in the ocean compared to what she could really do, she needed nothing more for the spell but just by pulling on her magic supply she had ended up sending a ripple through it, one that every Devil in the room had sensed. Once again I realized the ridiculous amount of raw power Serafall held in her tiny body, completely dwarfing that of my own.

She then proceeded to channel the Mana she gathered up her staff, taking far more care than a spell of this level would have required. I had seen Serafall blast a hole through a solid wall just by glaring at it, turn an entire lake to ice in a heartbeat before summoning a pair of skates with a flick of a single finger, but her she was, taking more time conjuring some water than she did with all of the above while ever other Devil in the room watched with bated breath.

In Sona's case she was literally holding her breath, biting her lips as she watched the staff hover over the empty glass and even Stheno sat unmoving as he observed the event. Only Liliana wasn't looking at the glass, instead she watched Serafall, observing her face carefully.

Then the spell was complete.

Nothing happened at first, and for one heart stopping moment I thought that Serafall had somehow bundled the simple spell, but then the water came. It hovered in the air, just a few inches away from the tip of her staff. Nothing more than a tiny sphere of water, the size of a rain drop, but it soon grew. Swirling in place it expanded, swelling into the size of a marble and then into tennis ball before, like an open faucet, water began spilling from the bottom of the sphere and into the glass beneath it.

Sona released a short baffled laugh, quickly covering her mouth with both her hands, as she watch happily with wide eyes shining with tears as the simple spell took effect. Even Stheno could not contain his happiness, letting out a whoop of joy and clapped his hand once as he leaned back into his chair, a large smile threatening to split his face in two. He was even nodding happily as he turned towards me before he froze a few seconds later when he remembered he was supposed to hate me, and hastily replaced his smile with a scowl.

Liliana, while more subdued in expressing her reaction did not mean she was any less happy than the rest of her family. She a had a tiny, satisfied smile as she pulled the glass away and held it before her face, it was nothing more than a slight upward tilt to the edge of her lips, but for the usually stoic woman it may have been the happiest I had ever seen her.

"Yes," She nodded once, her eyes carefully observing the blue water before she turned to face her eldest, who was now wearing self-satisfied and cocky grin on her face, all her earlier fears gone as if it were never there. "That will do. Well done."

Then Lady Sitri, the mother of my King, a person who had never deigned to talk to me and barely acknowledged my existence, turned to look straight at me with that tiny little smiled still in place and gave me a nod that was almost...grateful?

"Very well done indeed." She repeated, eyes very clearly on me. I don't think I had ever been more baffled by anything in my life.

But before I could begin putting any coherent thoughts together I was almost yanked off my feet as Serafall latched onto my arm and began dragging me out of the Library.

"Well, if you don't need anything else _Mama_ I'll be going. I still haven't finished playing with Shi-chan's new Pawns and want to get a head start before it gets too late."

Liliana for once didn't seem bothered by the childish name her daughter called to her by, too busy gazing at the glass of water she was still holding before her face to bother, as if it had entrapped her somehow. "Yes, that's all. Be sure to drop by later on tonight dear."

"I will." Serafall promised and pulled me out of the Library. Sona and Tsubaki trailed after us, the latter made sure to close the door shut behind us.

As Serafall continued to drag me down the hall and back to the guest quarters where we were staying, I left feeling lost, disorientated and with no idea what had just happened. But there was something I was absolutely certain about.

Though I had no idea precisely what it was, something very important had occurred back in that room.

* * *

The doors closed shut behind the children, leaving her alone with her husband. Still she waited for the muffled footsteps to disappear entirely and waited a few seconds more to make sure they were out of hearing range before Liliana finally dropped her mask and permitted herself to laugh.

She fell back into her chair and kicked her feet into the air in joy as she released a stream of laughter, something so out of character for her that, other than her husband, it would have shocked everyone that knew her. Even her children would have been stunned to see her behave as she did now.

"She did it. After two hundred years she finally did it." She managed to breathe out when her laughter began to tickle down. She raised the glass before her eyes, cradling it in both of her hands as she watched the water with a rare expression of pleasure, "I waited for so long to see that child cast a water spell once again, that I had almost ended up giving up hope."

She twirled the glass between her hands, the light refracted through the water and fell on her face, "But I have finally gotten to see it again. Seems like our gamble has paid off." Though she had little hope of it working, for her daughter's sake she was willing to put up with much. And in the end it had all been worth it.

All the years of waiting, hoping, and planning – only to result in failure followed by seemingly endless failure. All the days of staving off the despair that threatened to overwhelm them – all of it has been worth it.

Because at last, her daughter was finally returned to her.

Liliana smile dimmed a little as she remembered the one responsible for her return, and she had to fight off the urge to grimace in distaste, "Though I do wish she hadn't chosen the human boy."

Had it not been for that one particular fact, her happiness would be complete. Why couldn't she have fallen for a proper Devil instead like a normal person would have? Even a low class Devil would have been fine, but no, her daughter had to fall for a human. _Again_. She always seemed to have a fondness for that race.

It wasn't as if Liliana hated humans, oh no, nothing of the sort. Humans had their uses she admitted, and she could even understand why her daughter admired their kind. She was even willing to acknowledge that humans held certain traits that plenty of Devils would be better off learning from them.

Their ability to survive and persevere through hardships though they were so very fragile, the sheer amount of things that they could accomplish, the things they could build and create in their tiny insignificant lifespans was astonishing. Those things alone made them worthy of some measure of her respect. She was even willing to look at some of the more talented among their numbers as her equal.

No humans were not a race to be looked down upon.

But that didn't mean she ever wanted her daughter to _date_ one, or ancestor's forbid, _marry_ one. She could easily imagine every generation of Sitri Head from her mother to their founder roll in their graves at the thought. Can you imagine it, the eldest child and heir of the Clan marrying a human? Never, that would have never been allowed to happen. Neither in the Sitri nor any of the 72 Pillars.

No child ever produced from a union of Devil and Man had ever been able to fulfill the potential of their bloodline. Instead of being gifted with the strength of both races, they were cursed instead with the weakness of the two. And worst of all, they never inherited the true power of their heritage.

The Bael's Power of Destruction, the Phenex immortal flames, or any of the powers of the 72 pillars can never be inherited by mankind. No human, half-breed or otherwise, shall ever be able to wield the power of the 72 Pillars. That power belongs to Devils, and Devils alone.

The 72 Pillars, Clans who owed their entire position in society on the power of their bloodline, could not allow themselves to be led by one without their Clan's famed ability. Only those that had been gifted with the power of their bloodline have the right to become the head of their Clan. There are no exceptions. Ever.

Any child born without that power shall never be allowed to lead the Clan, dooming those with the blood of two races to never inherit anything from their parents. Even those embodied with the Evil Pieces could not completely mask the effect of their human bloodline.

Had Serafall still been her Heir, she would have been forced to prevent any permanent relationship from blooming between her and her Queen. Her ancestors would never have forgiven her if she had stood back and allowed her bloodline to end with her daughter's generation.

Fortunately Serafall was no longer her heir. To think she would ever be happy about that fact. When Liliana had first learned that her first born will never succeed her she had been devastated, but today she can admit it was a fortuitous event, otherwise she would have been forced into a position where she had to choose between her daughter's happiness and her duty as a Sitri.

"Who cares if the brat is human?" Liliana turned to look at her husband, to find him glaring at the door with his arms crossed, having put out his cigar at some point. "I only wish she hadn't chosen such an uncultured swine. Can you believe that the brat didn't have the decency to ask if he could court my little girl. The nerve of the boy, nothing but a little punk."

Liliana resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her husband. The man had always been far too overprotective of their children. Both of her daughters had him wrapped around their little fingers and he was only too happy about it. He would have done anything they told him if they worded it properly. It was precisely for this very reason why she had to be so strict with them, if she didn't Stheno would have spoiled them both rotten before they had even learned to walk.

"I don't think the 'little punk' as you are so fond of calling him has decided if he is even interested in our daughter, let alone courting her." Liliana informed her husband as she took a sip from the water, enjoying the nostalgia of the taste.

"And what precisely is there about my Sera that's not to love?" Stheno asked crossly as he turned to face his wife. "It's her that's too good for him. Snot-nosed brat, think he's better than my little girl. The only reason why I haven't beaten the crap out of the punk is because Sera would never forgive me if I did."

Liliana was far too cultured to snort at that but the urge was certainly there. "Dear," setting the glass down on the table. "We both know that the real reason why you haven't tried anything has less to do with our daughter's wrath and more to do with him being strong enough to end you if you tried."

The broken hearted look of betrayal her husband sent her reminded her so much of a puppy that she had to laugh.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, even more put out by his wife's laughter, "The punk was afraid enough of me when we first met."

Liliana didn't have the heart to break it to Stheno that the wide eye and slack jawed look the boy sent her husband had nothing to do with fear. She still remembered how he kept mouthing the words 'Santa Claus' over and over again to himself.

It took every ounce of control she had to keep a straight face during that meeting.

Even after all of their centuries of marriage, Liliana never did find the perfect opportunity to tell her husband that most people saw him less as a terrifying warrior and more like a particularly grumpy puppy. That wasn't to say her husband wasn't powerful, on the battlefield he was something that most Devils would be wise to fear. It was a shame that he just didn't look the part. Not that Liliana minded of course, she always did have a thing for the small and cuddly.

"Of course he was dear," Liliana lied through her teeth to sooth her husband's ego, "He was clearly terrified of you."

Stheno nodded, satisfied at her words. His eyes then caught sight of the glass of water that was the source of their joy, and smiled. "Still, isn't that something...two hundred years huh?" Stheno turned to look towards the long table that sat in the middle of the reading area. "It's been a while."

"That it has," Liliana agreed as she too looked towards the table, "a very long while indeed." Far too long, even for a race as long lived as hers.

"Who would have thought that those two meeting all those years ago would have ended up changing things so much?"

"Not I." Liliana freely admitted, a fond smile drifted onto her face. "Then again, that girl always did have a way about her, always defying expectations."

Her daughter had always been a serious child, far more than even she had ever been. Attentive, obedient and committed to fulfilling her duty along with a talent in magic she had never seen from one so young. She was as perfect an heir as she could have ever asked for.

She just wasn't a happy one.

Not from a lack of trying. When Liliana realized how… empty her daughter was, she had tried everything she could think of that might have helped. She became more open with her affection, showering her with love, granting her every wish and gave her everything a child her age could ask for. Nothing worked. There was something missing in her daughter, something crucial and nothing she tried seemed to be able to fill it.

Then she met _her_,

And everything changed.

She was just like a storm, blowing into their lives and changing everything. Just by meeting each other, only one single conversation and already she could see something changing in her daughter. She was became just a tiny bit happier, and there was a little more life in her actions. In a single meeting she had managed to worm her way into her daughter's heart and drew her out of her shell like nobody else could, not even herself.

Needless to say that she had taken every opportunity after that to keep those two in each other's company. And she never regretted her decision. Seemingly overnight her daughter began to change. She laughed, her almost never seen smiles had become a common sight. She would even crack jokes on occasion, all because she had met her.

Her daughter was happy. For that, she would forever be grateful to that girl.

She had become her daughter's lover, and soon after her Queen. Back then the Evil Pieces did not exist as they did now. Their predecessors even went under a different name – the King's Peerage she believe it was called. But the position of Queen held as much significance back then as it did today.

Truly, she was like a storm.

Then she was taken away.

Liliana's features twisted into a hate filled sneer. Even after all of the centuries, her hatred hasn't abated in the slightest. It burned in the pits of her stomach just as fiercely as it did when she had seen the broken shell her daughter had become.

That war, that meaningless accursed war had taken so much from her. From them all. It had stolen her eldest sister from her, the one who was originally supposed to become the Sitri Heir, along with both of her younger brothers. Though they had fought on the opposite side it had also taken away her parents, something that had hurt as much the loss of her siblings.

So much was lost in that war. More than even the Great War. It had taken so much from her.

But above all, it had taken away her first born.

Two hundred years ago, on that accursed day, near the end of that thrice forsaken war, her daughter had shattered to pieces. Her lover, who was her storm, her Queen and along with every last member of her Peerage had been slaughtered in a single battle. Only Serafall had survived, every other Devil from either sides perished, leaving her daughter alone in a field of corpses.

Alive, though far from unscathed.

Her daughter had always been too pure, to innocent. When she commits to something she puts everything of herself into it, too much so. When she hates someone she hates them with every drop of malice in her being, and when she loves someone she does so with the entirety of her heart and soul, holding nothing of herself back.

Then she watched almost everything she had ever loved die.

Her daughter had become empty once again, reverting to how she had been but even worse. She was nothing more than a walking corpse, an empty soulless husk of a living being. She had shut herself out and become cold, hard and uncaring.

And it was reflected in her magic.

Magic was more than just energy that Devils could wield, more than just a power. Devils were beings of magic, and such it was as much as part of themselves as their very souls were. Magic came from the mind and soul, reflecting their true nature in a way nothing else did. And so when Serafall's heart had frozen over, when her daughter had become cold, harsh and unforgiving, that nature was reflected in her magic.

Ice.

All that came out of her was Ice.

These day the name Serafall Leviathan is synonymous with ice magic. Her mastery over ice was unrivaled and has been spoken highly about since the day she took on the position of Leviathan. But what most of the younger generation do not know was before that, she had been renowned as a master at water magic. And even fewer knew the truth, that the true reason why she had switched from water to ice was not a voluntary choice.

The once beautiful azure blue water of her daughter's magic, the pride of the Sitri Clan, had turned into cold and unforgiving ice. Whether it was a thimble full or the size of a lake, whenever she tried to summon water she called forth frozen ice instead. Her daughter had lost her Clan's ability to create water.

She had never regained her magic since.

Serafall had lost her magic, her lover and her Peerage in a single day. And as if that were not enough, she had also lost the right to lead the Sitri Clan.

A Devil who cannot cast their family's magic is a cripple – a disgrace. Without the ability to wield our Clan's water magic Serafall was no longer qualified to become the Clan Head, no matter how talented she may be otherwise, and thus could no longer remain as the Sitri Heir. Had she not chosen to become a Maou and removed herself from the Clan, thus abdicating her position as Heir, Liliana would have been forced to do it for her.

And she knew it.

We never needed to tell her anything, she knew that her inability to create water meant that in the eye of the laws governing the 72 Pillars, she was no longer considered a true Sitri. So she left the Clan without any hesitation, without being prompted.

What had truly broken her heart was that as far gone as her daughter had been back then, Liliana didn't think Serafall even cared.

Liliana had lost her daughter on that day, and there was nothing that she could do to bring her back.

When Sona had somehow managed to make her way through the wall Serafall erected about herself a decade earlier, Liliana had dared to hope that perhaps Sona had managed to bring her sister back. That her Serafall had returned. But no, that was nothing but a fool's hope.

Though she smiled and laughed again, though she regained some color and tried to live her life again, she was still not whole. Just a copy of what she had once been. It was as if she wanted to live again but couldn't figure out how to go about it, so all she did was mimic how she used to behave, without any of the fire behind her actions. And that was why she could not conjure any water.

Her soul was still frozen, heart still cold.

She had thought, that was it. Her daughter was truly lost, and only this fragmented piece of what she had been was her all she'd ever have left.

Then one day, without any warning, after centuries of refusing to even consider creating a new Peerage, her daughter had arrived on her doorstep dragging her new Queen behind her.

That had been almost a year ago, and today her daughter had summoned water again.

After two hundred years, her daughter had finally returned.

"Yes," Liliana repeated to herself while her eyes lingered over the table, the place where their tale had begun all those years ago. "It has been far too long."

_The ancient doors groaned as the__y__ were pushed open, their noise disturbing the otherwise silent library, followed by the sound of boots on hard wood as someone strolled in, not bothering to close the doors behind them._

_ The original and __previously __sole occupant of the room did not bother looking up from __where they sat reading __at the long table,__disregarding the__ sound of the intruder. They simply flipped the page of the large tome __that sat upon their lap __over and continued reading, their violet eyes scanning through the line of the page efficiently. _

_ The reader was but a child, a __tiny__ wisp of a thing. __Their head barely reached over the top of the table and tomb the__y__ read from, large even in an adult's hands, was massive in their lap, dwarfing the child. Yet the child did not seem to mind, as they continued to __calmly __devour__ the words __off the page, __their expression __unusually __blank __in contrast to __the __single mindedness__ they read __with__._

_From__ top to bottom, the young child was almost entirely wrapped up with__ the color black. From their wing-tipped shoes, to th__eir __creaseless__ black slacks to the black waistcoat the__y__ wore over a __neatly __white buttoned-up shirt where the child had a dark long string tie __wrapped __around their throats. Even their hair, cut short in a __bob-cut__ style __and neatly combed__, was raven black. The only splash of color was the violet of their eyes, a trait they had inherited from their mother, and the paleness of their skin._

_ "Well, aren't you the gloomy one?" __A__ chipper __voice __called out, sounding completely out of place in the solemn atmosphere of the ancient library_

_The child glance__d__ up to find __themselves sta__r__ing into __a pair of vivid blue eyes, twinkling with hidden mischief and amusement, __that impression was further reinforced by the large Cheshire grin beneath them__. __The eyes were set on the face of __another child, __one __around the same age __as the first__ though otherwise was completely __different._

_ Her __bright blond__ hair tumbled down her head to her shoulders in a tangle __mess while her skin was a rich __healthy__ pink. __Unlike the simple monotone black and white the first child wore, this one was a rainbow of colors in comparison._

_She wore an untied bright forest green robe with golden embroidery stitched in__to__, while underneath it was a blue colored t__u__nic dotted with dozen__s__ of white stars. Her dark brown pants led down to the well-worn deerskin boots __she wore on her feet__._

_ On top of her __head __was a wide brimmed witch's hat, the top flopping over slightly. And __finally__ in her hand she held a long wooden staf__f, that was tipped by what appeared to be a badly carved five pointed star._

_ "__What's with the cloth__e__s?" __The young witch asked __and__ reached out to tug at the first child's string tie, __still squatting down at the table__._

_ The child tilted their head ever so slightly, watching the witch with dull eyes, "...And what precisely is wrong with my clothes?"_

_"Oh, nothing, nothing." The witch held her hand up __in a__ placating manner, though the mischievous grin she was sporting contrasted __with __her words. "It's just __boring__ as hell that's all. Where __are__ the color__s__? Did you just come back from a funeral or did you bore all the colors around __you__ so badly __that__ they decided to commit suicide?"_

_ "Neither assumptions __are__ correct," The child answered, either not __understanding the witch had been joking or not caring. "All of my clothing is this color. What point is there in bothering with multiple color__s__ when simple black and white would suffice."_

_ The witch actually looked offended. "What's the point in color? What kind of a question is that?" The witch leapt to her feet and took a grandiose pose, one hand on her hip while the other pointed her staff at the child. "Color is life. All of reality would become dull, bland and entirely pointless without it."_

_ "That is where you're wrong," The child countered, their voice holding not a speck of __the __passion the witch did, "Should color disappear nothing would change. __Color is merely a meaningless part of __existence__, it holds no value other than the superficial, no substance or gain. I see no meaning in it, and it is illogical for you to place value in what doesn't have __any__." Then the child looked back down at the book on their lap, dismissing the witch. "__Now if you'll excuse me I'd like to return to my reading."_

_ "...__Y__ou really are the gloomy type ain't ya?" __The witch frowned down at the child, before her grin returned and she shrugged.__ "__Ah well, it takes all kinds I guess."_

_ The witch began to __walk to the middle of the table before __slowly spinning in place, her eyes scanning the library. "Hey, have you seen __the __boss's daughter anywhere? I heard she was in her__e__ so I dropped by to say hi."_

_ "__Boss? Are you by chance referring to Liliana Sitri?" The child asked, not bothering to look up or pause __in __their reading._

_ "Yup, that's the boss alright. I'm looking for her sweet and precious __little __girl, I heard she was supposed to be some kind of prodigy. I love messing around with those kinds. They always seem to carry some kind of big stick up their ass, __and there is nothing funnier than watching their faces as I __pull__ it out and whack them over the __head __with it.__" __t__he witch snickered at the thought, "So where is she?"_

_The child briefly considered lying before discarding the option. It was meaningless to delay the inevitable and the witch was bound to find out the truth eventually. So the child flipped over another page and answered. __"__You are __speaking __with__ her."_

_ "__What!" The witch spun around so fast that she almost __fell over. Pinwheeling her arms for a moment as __she__ tried and eventually succeeded in regaining her balance before she hurried over to the child and squatted so their faces were almost level again. "You're the Sitri Heir? But that's impossible, she's supposed to be a girl."_

_ "__I assure you not only is my __position__ as heir very much possible b__ut__ I am in fact a girl."_

_ "__Nah-ah, no way, not possible. There is __no way you're a...__g__irl?" During the middle of her denials, the witch's hands had shot forward and latched onto the Sitri Heir's chest, no doubt __trying to prove that the child was male, only for her words to trail off as her hands met two small but soft __orbs__ that were unmistakably breasts. _

_The witch gaped into the Sitri's face who __in turn__ looked up from her reading __and looked back at __her __with__ a deadpan expression. __"__By my father's nonexistent hair__, you really are a __girl!" _

_ "__Yes, I believe I had already established that." Then the Sitri returned to her reading, unconcerned by the hands that haven't detached __themselves __from her chest._

_ The witch stared disbelievingly at __the __chest she was holding, before her hand squeezed as she groped __the__ other girl's __breasts.__ Then she groped again, and again before her head slump over in defeat._

_ "...I lost," The downtrodden witch announced. "You're shorter than me but __yours is__ already bigger __than mine__." The entire __time __she spoke her hands remained attached to the other girl's chest…nor did they stop their groping._

_ For the next minute or so the library was silent as the Sitri continued reading, apparently unconcerned by the witch's unceasing groping of her breasts._

_The witch finally looked up, and shot the other girl a perplexed look even as her hands continued their fondling. "Aren't you going to scream? _*grope* *grope*_ Or even slap me?" The blond tilted her head curiously. "That's the usual response I __get__ when__ever__ I do this."_

_ "__No." The Sitri calmly flipped over a page before continuing. "__While __inappropriate__ I don't believe your actions warrant __neither__ yelling __n__or slapping." __Then the young Devil returned to her reading. _

_ "Oh come one. Not even one little itty bitty scream? I'll even settle for an adorable 'eep'." The witch gave the Sitri an imploring look before frowning when she didn't receive a reply. "Damn, you're no fun. __Half the point of __groping__ pretty girls is __to see __their reaction. __How am I supposed to properly enjoy feeling you up if you don't react?" Despite__ her words, __the young witch__ hadn't stopped __her groping__._

_ "__If you find __your actions so unappealing th__en you're__ free to stop." The Devil told her, clearly unconcerned either way._

_ "__No," The blond replied almost sullenly. "Your reactions are __boring__ but your breasts still feel really nice."_

_The witch's eyes widen a heartbeat later when a thought hit her. "Wait,__ did I just sexually harass __the__ boss's daughter on my first day on the job?" __She started blankly ahead in shock, her hands freezing in place, before she tossed her head back and laugh and resumed her fondling.__ "Hahahah__a__, holy shit I'm awesome. My master is going to kill me when she finds out. __Hahahaha.__"_

_ "__Master?" __The Sitri looked up __to__ the witch. "Who is __your__ master?"_

_"__Morgan Le Fay, older than dirt and the scariest thing born without testicles in the history of mankind." The witch boasted with a smile, "She__'s the Sitri family new contracted Magician and I'm her most wonderful apprentice."_

_ "__I see." The Heir responded dully before looking back down to her book._

_The witch looked at the Devil that kept ignoring __her__ before she pulled her hands away and crossed her arms, looking away with a dissatisfied look. "_Tsk, _I changed my mind, __there is no point messing with you anymore."_

_ "May I asked what brought about this change of heart?" Though the little Devil was the one who asked, she seemed to hold no real interest in the answer._

_ "Isn't it obvious?" The blond reached out and gripped the Sitri's chin before she forced it up so they ended up looking into each others eyes. "It's because you look so sad."_

_ "__Sad?" For the first time since the start of the __conversation__, the Sitri Heir's voice held some measure of heat as she frowned at the witch before her. "I assure you I'm not in anyway sad."_

_"__Trust me __brat__," The __wi__tch rose to her feet and smirked down at the other girl, "From where I'm standing you looks __so darn sad it's almost painful to watch__." __Seeing the dissatisfied look she was receiving, the witch's smirk just grew.__ "__If that wasn't the case then tell me, why aren't you smiling?__"_

_ "__That's because I have nothing __to smile about." The Sitri answered promptly._

_ "And that's __exactly__ what makes it sad." __The blond explained while pointing her staff at her before she threw it over her shoulder and dropped down as she __cross__ed__ her __legs__. "You don't need a reason to smile. __You don't a reason to be happy.__ If you __sit down and wait for a reason to smile than you'd spend most of your __life __just waiting."_

_ "__A contradiction." The Devil shook her head, "People smile when they are happy, ergo they need to be happy to smile. This is fact, and what you're proposing is going against this established fact."_

_ "__Ah," The witch reach out to flick the other girl on the nose, causing it to crinkle in displeasure. "That's where you're wrong. You __don't __smile because you're happy, it's the opposite, you smile to become happy."_

_The taller girl pushed herself back up to her feet and began pacing __around__ the table._

_ "Life you see, is a game." She began to lecture, while she held her arms outstretched from her sides as if she was walking a tightrope. "And the ones who win this game are not the ones who earn the most money or gain the most power. Those guys are playing it all wrong, and taking life too seriously. Life is already far too serious to take seriously." The witch turned when she reached the end of the table and began walking to the other end. "No, the winner is the one who laughs the most. The people who have the grandest of times before they meet their end, they are the real winners."_

_ "That's why you must laugh, why you must smile." The witch proceeded to do just that, shooting the watching Devil a wide beaming smile. "Even if you don't have a reason to, then just make one up. Think up a joke, play a prank or just smile for no damn reason. That's how you gain a happy enough reason to laugh, you _make yourself _happy. You don't wait for a reason to be happy, you make the reason up. Smile more than anyone, laugh louder than anyone – that's how anyone can win. Even a little no name orphan like me."_

_ "You're an orphan?" For some reason that surprised the Sitri._

_ "Yup," The witch shot her a cheerful smile as she crossed her legs and sat down again across from her on the table. "Going on six years now. The Witch Hunt is not solely reserved for witches but their families too." The blond looked up to the ceiling "Man, six years. It's really been a while. Back then I used to cry a lot, and I mean all the damn time. All I would do is cry, cry and cry." She rubbed the back of her head while shooting the Devil an embarrassed smile._

_ "...then why did you stop?" The Sitri asked with genuine curiosity while she carefully observed the other girl._

_ A shrug was her response, "Meh, I got tired of it." the witch took a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck, "Crying is no fun, and you won't think it but it's so damn tiring. I was exhausted all the damn time then. But here's the thing, I didn't know how to stop. I had no idea how to simply stop feeling so sad, how to end to pain. But lucky I had my Master with me, the greatest darn witch in the whole universe. She was also more than a little but nutty, but all the great ones are. Anyway, I went to my wonderful Master and asked her if she had a spell to make me happy. Do you know what she answered."_

_ "To my knowledge, there exists no such spell to make one happy." the Sitri answered, book forgotten as she was drawn into the other girl's story._

_ "That's right." The witch exclaimed and slammed her palms on the table. She pointed at the Devil. "That's exactly right, it doesn't exist. I asked my master if there was a magic to make someone happy and she said there was no such thing. And when I asked her why, when magic could do anything why couldn't it make a little girl like me happy. She told me this; child, the only person who can decided you're happy is yourself. If you believe you're sad then all the magic in the world won't change that. However if you believe you're happy, then not even a witch as great as me can make you think otherwise."_

_ The witch, the ever smiling mischievous witch, dropped her smile and gave the young Devil a sad heartbroken look that in a better world shouldn't even belong on a face as young as hers. "I...I didn't want to sad anymore. I had spend so long being sad I gotten sick and tired of it. I just wanted to be happy, even if only a little. So...I decided to be happy."_

_ Again she smiled at the Devil, this time it was a tired one but honest in a way the young Devil could not understand. "I realized that the only reason I was unhappy was because of myself. It's like how a boring person has a boring life. It's not life itself that's boring but the person who makes it so by the way they decided to live. Boring people simply are boring like that. I was just like that, miserable because I decided to live that way."_

_ The Witch shot her a sharp grin, a more baring of her teeth than a smile. "Well, screw that. This is my life, there is no way I'm going to allow anyone to make it miserable, even if, no, _especially _if that person happen to be me. It wasn't easy, but I did it. You don't wait for you're own happiness, you make it happen. A little everyday, with every action you take. And I became happy. I learned to laugh every day, smile at every tiny wonder in this world and enjoy all of life's little miracles."_

_ "And that is why I – AHHHH." In the middle of her impassioned words, the witch had forgotten that she was sitting at the edge of the table and so when she had leaned back, intending to prop herself up with her arms, she found nothing but empty air and proceeded to fall off the table._

_ "I'm ok! I'm ok! I meant to do that." The witch quickly called out before the Devil could blink let alone think about reacting. The blond's disheveled hair popped back up on the other side of the table, flashing her an embarrassed smile. "Oopsy, kinda forgot I was on a table there for a second."_

_ Despite her fall, the witch didn't hesitate to pull her hat back on and climb back onto the table. "As I was saying," she began once she stood back up on her feet. "That is why I want to become a witch. Not an ordinary kind mind you. I don't want the power to split the heavens in two or tear down the highest mountains. No, I want to become a different kind of witch, I want to be the kind that will make this world a happier one. They type of person that would bring smiles to those who don't have them, to give laughter to those who need it the most. That is the type of magic I want, which is why one day," She thumped her staff on the table before she took a pose, hand on her waist the other pointing at the Devil, with a triumphant grin on her face. "I will become a witch of happiness."_

_ The light of the fire reflected off the hair of the blond, setting it ablaze like strands of golden fire. The Sitri wondered as she watched her, if this was what looking at the sun felt like? She didn't know, having never seen it before. _

_"...__I'm sorry to __be the bearer of bad news__," the Sitri began cautiously, not wanting to offend the girl though not really sure why she felt that way. "But aren't witches supposed to be bad people? Even the few good ones still have a reputation of being ugly __hags__ with large warts and stringy hair. Won't it be hard to complete your dream when witches have such a negative image. Chances are people will only think you're trying to trick them if you claim to be __a__ witch, even if you__r only __desire is__ to help."_

_ For a full five seconds, the blond held her pose, hand on waist, staff pointed and triumphant grin on her lips, before she suddenly slumped over in despair. "Damn it, you're right. You're completely right. How the hell did I forget something like that? Damn you Morgan, you just had to fuck with Merlin and give the rest of us witches a bad name. Damn it, what am I supposed to do now."_

_ "The solution is simple." The witch raised her head to send the Devil a questioning look, prompting her to continue. "If you only wish to make people happy and don't care for the title of 'witch' then simply discard it. Take up the name of another profession or even make one up yourself if you must. It's not like using magic to spread happiness has anything to do with being a witch."_

_ "You know what, you're right! Your absolutely right!" The blond shot back up, full of energy and life once again. The Sitri began to seriously entertain the possibility that the girl may be bipolar. "I don't need to be a witch, I can be anything I want to. It's just a name. And I know the perfect one. Since I am a girl who will use magic to spread happiness, from this day forth, I will be a Magic Girl."_

_ "...Wouldn't Magical Girl sound better?" The Sitri added in after a moment of contemplation._

_ "Yes, Yes! I like it. Magical Girl, it has that certain oomph to it don't you think." She threw her head back and laughed. "Yeah, Magical Girl it is then."_

_ The blond then walked up to the Sitri girl until she stood directly before her on the table. "Well, it's a little late, but allow me to introduce myself." The witch spun in place and twirled her staff in her hands, sending her robes fluttering, before she slammed her staff down and flashed a large beaming smile down at her. _

_ "I am Morgan Le Fay's current apprentice and adopted daughter, the Magical Girl, Evelyn Le Fay."_

_ The Sitri stared up at her before sighing, though there was certain spark of life in her eyes that wasn't there before. The Devil shut the book in her lap before rising from her seat and looking back up at the witch, their violet and blue eyes meeting._

_ "I am a member of the Sitri Clan, one of the seventy-two pillars, and it's current Heir, Serafall Sitri." _

And that was how a Demon Lord, and her Magical Girl, met.

* * *

***Story End***

**Author's Notes:**

**Let me begin by apologizing for taking so long with chapter. As some of you know I had one hell of a writer's block concerning this story, but it's gone and from now one I intend to start post regularly again. I'll do my best to try and post at least a chapter a month until the end of the Arc.**

**Now onto the chapter itself. and so we finally get to see a good chunk of Serafall's past - not all of it mind you but more than I planned. I didn't originally plan to reveal so much so fast but there are going to be so many surprises in this arc that I thought it would be best to give it to you know rather than drag it out. So how did you like it? Did Evelyn - the original magical girl herself - meet with your expectations? And how was little Serafall?**

**And for those of you who are DxD fans, I know that Sairoarg's the Heir, so the details I revealed wasn't a mistake. And in addition, in this universe people with Sacred Gears cannot pass on the Sacred Gear's power to their Kids. So someone with the Boosted Gear will not have children with dragon genetics in them (otherwise there would be a lot of human/dragons around). And I had to create Serafall's parents from scratch since there was no information on them, not even pics. I hope you ended up liking them.**

**Oh, something that I realized in the last chapter was that people had troubled understanding the character's power levels. The misunderstanding with Karasuba's strength compared to Shirou (I added an explanation in the author's notes of the last chapter for those who missed it) so one of my goals for this Arc is to give everyone a better idea of just how strong everyone is.**

**This chapter was hard to write, I have to tell you. Partly because there is so much information I have give out, all the politics that their stay in the underworld will involve, and partly because there are so many characters whose personality are hard to write. But I did it and I'm particularly proud on how it ended. Though I am a little worried that after so long away from the story I may have lost a bit of my touch.**

**So, did you enjoy it? As usual I'd really appreciate any and all comments so be sure to tell me what you think.**


	17. Chapter 17: Yell out your Dreams

**Yell out your Dreams.**

_"__The sun?"_

_ The blond paused in her sketching, hand frozen half way through drawing a magic circle, and turned to give her companion a puzzled expression, "You want to know what the sun looks like?" _

_ The little Devil sitting by her side nodded, "That's right."_

_ Papers lay scattered before them, covering the surface of the library's table, evidence of their failed attempts at creating an original magic circle. Though but a few short weeks had passed, already there was changes evident on the young Sitri._

_ Colour bloomed where there was once none. Only hints of it, a splash of blue and lavender mixed in with the black, but it was there._

_ Evelyn stared at her with confusion, unable to understand, before her eyes widened with comprehension. "That's right," She leaned back on her chair, crossing her arms behind her head, "The sun doesn't rise around here, does it?" The witch gave her companion a sidelong glance, "So you've really never seen it before?"_

_ Serafall shook her head, "Never."_

_ Spell creation was an art beyond most Devils. With their ability to bend magic to their will they never needed to learn the science behind their gifts. Humans were born with no such talent. Unable to use magic at birth they were forced to discover and comprehend the rules that governed the world's magic, craft entire systems for their brand of spells, draw circles to channel it's power and then, and only then would they be allowed to use even the simplest of spells. _

_ And it was this hard earned knowledge that granted them the insight needed to create new spells._

_ "It hurts."_

_ The Sitri blinked in surprise, not expecting the answer she had received. "...I do not understand. The sun pains you?"_

_ "Yup." Evelyn nodded in confirmation. She leaned further back in her chair until it ended up balancing on it's back two legs, before tilting her head back so she stared up at the library's distant ceiling, eyes losing their focus. "The sun, it's bright you see. Dazzlingly so. Even for human eyes it hurts to look straight at it. But even so, we just can't stop staring at it."_

_ "Why?" The blond turned her head towards her friend, only to find her violet eyes watching her, "Why would you stare at it if it hurts you? It's illogical."_

_ She gave the Devil a tiny smile in reply, "Because it's dazzling."_

_ Serafall blinked again, taken a back, "But isn't that precisely the reason why it hurts?"_

_ "Yes, yes it is." The witch laughed a little as she dropped her chair forward, before spinning in her seat so that she fully faced the raven haired girl. "It's hurts to look at it, but you can't look away. It captivates you, making you want to gaze at it even through the pain. It's simply that dazzling, as if the pain was worth it."_

_ "And is it?" The Sitri asked, curious, "worth it I mean?"_

_ The blond gave her another one of her little smiles, but didn't answer. Instead she spun in her chair so that she face forward again, before she folded her arms over the table and set her head upon it, on it's side so that she could still see her friend._

_ "Once," the witch began, tiny smile still in place, "a few years back, my master took me to this great hill in the middle of nowhere. It was early, like still dark with stars out early, and she had dragged me straight out of bed before dropping me there. When I asked what we were doing awake in such an ungodly hour she told me we were here to see the sun come up. It's supposed to be good for the soul, or at least that's what she claimed."_

_ Evelyn lifted her shoulders in a shrug. "Old people are sentimental like that sometimes. And my Master is really old, so it goes double for her... ten times even, if you consider her age." She winced and rubbed the back of her head. "Don't tell her I said that, I don't want to be whacked with that staff of hers again."_

_ Folding her arms back under her head, she continued, "Anyway, so there we were, out in the sticks with not another soul in sight for what must have been a good hundred miles, waiting for the sun to come up. I must have fallen asleep or something because the next thing I knew my Master was shaking me awake and pointing at something. I turned to look at where she was point at and that's when I saw it."_

_ "The sun?" Serafall asked when the other girl trailed off._

_ "The sun." She nodded, "It came out slowly, sneaking up at us a bit at a time, like it was a shy little child hiding behind his mother's skirt. It wasn't obvious at first, it only got a little bit brighter and the sky a tiny bit bluer but that was it. Then came the first hints of colour. They were like paint drops raining onto water, staining the empty sky like a canvas. Red, orange, yellow, even pink, hues of so many colours, more than I ever knew even existed let alone could name. Then like a little child gathering it's courage and stepping out from behind it's mum, the edge of the sun peeked over the horizon, and _puff, t_he entire world changed."_

_ Evelyn raised her head and propped it up with a hand, her blue eyes shining vividly. "The dawn was...nothing like I imagined it to be. So radiant, so full of color that it will bring a tear to your eye and you can tell never if it's because it was just too bright, or too beautiful. Even though nothing had changed, everything was just the same as it was a minute ago, I was still on that grassy hill in the middle of nowhere, it felt like was I taken some place else entirely, spirited away to another world. To watch as the once bland night-scape burst with colours, to see the grass planes stripped from the shadow that hid them from sight, it was as if just by simply arriving, the sun had make the world a different place, a better one, something far more beautiful than you thought possible."_

_ A warm smile blossomed under the witch's blue glimmering eyes, "I can't really describe it, not enough for you to really understand without seeing it yourself. How it dazzles your mind, captures your attention without trying. You have no idea how beautiful the sun can be, you really don't."_

_ Serafall's violet eyes were locked on the witch's face for a long moment, before she slowly shook her head. "...No," she whispered quietly, watching her, "I think I just might."_

_ "Do you want me to show it to you sometime?"_

_ The question caught the young heir by surprise, and she needed a moment to think on it before she could form a response. "No," she shook her head, a tiny smile on her face. "Not now at least. The world is already bright enough for me. Maybe one day."_

_ "Ho-ho~," Evelyn eyes widen in fascination before she pushed herself off the table and leaned forward, bringing her face right up to the Devil's, an amused grin gracing her lips, "Will you look at that. It seems you can smile after all. You had me worried there for a while."_

_ Serafall frowned at the girl, showing her displeasure, "Of course I can smile, I'd appreciate it if you didn't make me sound like I'm kind of wired animal." Then the Sitri nodded towards the table's surface. "And shouldn't you be getting back to work?"_

_ "Eh!" The witch flinched back and turned back to look at her half-finished work, before she crossed her arms and glared at it sullenly. "Don't remind me. Master has me working on these basic circles for weeks now. It's boring. Why won't she let me do something a little more advanced."_

_ "Don't whine." Serafall chastened softly, "The fundamentals are important. You can't expect to become a powerful mage unless you master the basics."_

_ "Says the girl who can command magic with her mind." Evelyn grumbled half-heartedly but obediently returned to her work. Picking up the pencil from where she discarded it, she reached for a new sheet of paper instead of picking up from she left off and started drawing. Serafall scooted closer, observing her work from over her shoulder, lacking the skills needed to help but still interested in learning the process._

_ Evelyn's well practised hand sketched out a perfect circle, before she began drawing strings of runes that traced the circle's inner boarder. Her assignment was not to create a completely original spell but her own variation of a pre-existing one. Though that was still no simple task, as the pile of discarded sheets of failed attempts began to build over the next two hours proved._

_ "Enough!" The witch exclaimed after another failed attempt. She slumped over the table in exhaustion, scattering the paper around her. "Ahh! I don't get this. So much work and for what, not even a proper spell. Master is a slave-driver I tell you, a total slave-driver, piling all this work on her poor little apprentice."_

_ "Work is important, that's the only way you can get better." Serafall explained as she pulled back from where she had been leaning over._

_ "Hm, and I say you're biased." Evelyn grumbled as she laid sprawled of the table, her arms stretched out before her. "You're a bookworm and a total workaholic on top of that. You actually enjoy this kind of stuff." Evelyn made a face before turning her eyes to the Devil. "Come on Sera, workaholics like you need to learn how to relax."_

_ "And slackers like you need to learn how to work." Serafall told the blond before shooting her a stern look. "And I told you, my name is Serafall not Sera."_

_ "Well this slacker has been working her ass off for the last four hours and needs a break. Too much stress and all that. And I know the perfect stress relief." A mischievous grin made its way to the witch's lips as she pushed herself off the table and turned to her friend. She had her eyes locked on the other girls chest, a leer growing on her lips as she held both her hands open before her. "Beautiful breasts, here I come." _

_ Then she lunged at the Sitri and -_

_ EEP!_

_ Evelyn paused, halting her assault to blink in confusion, her leer quickly slipping off her face to be replace with a look of disbelief. "Wait," she pointed an accusing finger at her target, "Did you just '_eep'_?"_

_ Serafall had her arms wrapped protectively over her chest, the normally stoic girl's features turning a bright red as she blushed. "...N-no." she denied, not quite meeting the other girl's eyes._

_ Slowly Evelyn's shocked features began to morph into an eager one. "You did, you totally did 'eep'. And you're blushing too!" _

_ "...I'm not." She denied, not able to bring herself to look at the other girl in the eye._

_ "_Oh_, but I think you are." Evelyn's grin began to turn almost predatory as she eyed the girl. _

_ Pushing herself off her chair, Evelyn began to slowly approach the still blushing Sitri, hands held before her, fingers closing and opening. Serafall too pushed herself off her chair and began to cautiously walk backward away from the approaching blond, arms still wrapped protectively over her chest._

_There was a moment where both parties paused in their tracks, before Evelyn lunched for Serafall, hands held forward towards her chest. Serafall let out another startled _'eep' _and leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the prying hands. Though instead of being upset of her failure, Evelyn looked ecstatic as she turned to Serafall with a manic grin._

_ "Yes!" The witch began to chuckle madly as she started to approach Serafall who once again began backing away, circling around the table. "This is what feeling up a girl is supposed to feel like. Now, let the hunt begin. Kyahahaha!"_

_ And with that Evelyn __leapt forward again, causing Serafall to release another startled __squeak__ before running away, kick starting a chase around the table __as__ one __ran after__ the other__._

* * *

"Sera," I whispered, giving her shoulder a gentle shake, "Sera, wake up."

At my prodding, her eyes began to slowly flutter open. Lifting her head off the armrest, she blindly gaze around herself, confused, before she turned towards me and those violet irises seemed to focus on my face.

"Shirou?" She murmured groggily, not quite a wake yet, before she seemed to remember where she was and she glanced around the largely empty hall room. "Oh," She mouthed before she seemed to physically pull herself together. Lifting her feet off the opposite armrest, she set them onto the floor and sat up, tossing her arms over her head and stretching like a great cat, letting loose a large yawn, "Is it time already?"

"Almost, we still have a couple of more minutes before anyone starts arriving." I told her, trying to keep my concern off my voice. Though she was awake, I didn't move away from where I knelt beside her as I carefully observed her face. "Sera, are you alright?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded as she stretched again before turning to give me a sleepy smile. "I'm great, why?"

Awkwardly I pointed to her face "...You were crying."

"Wha-" She raised a hand to her cheeks to find that it wet. "Oh," she seemed startled to find that, yes, she really had been crying, "I guess I was."

"Are you sure you're alright?" I asked, my voice thick with concern. Ever since that day with her parents Serafall had been acting a little….different, and now she's crying in her sleep.

To my surprise though, she gave me a warm smile as her eyes almost seemed to shine. "Yeah, I'm fine, I just had a really nice dream. That's all. A nice nostalgic dream."

"Well, if you're sure." I trailed off awkwardly before forcing myself back onto my feet, still concerned but not willing to push it.

"Uh-huh." She nodded, apparently amused by my behaviour. "You really are a worry-wart you know that? Even worse than Sona. I told you I'm fine." Then her eyes seemed to gain a mischievous gleam to them, something that I had long began to recognize as a warning sign that she had gotten one of her ideas.

"Hey Shirou," Serafall crossed her arms behind her and puffed out her chest while arching her back, causing her breasts to thrust out towards me. "Want to feel up my breasts a little?"

I glanced down to her breasts before looking back up to her smirking face and sighed. Then I karate chopped her on the head.

"Ouch!" Serafall yelped and clutched her forehead. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Yeah, looks like I was an idiot for worrying." Speaking more to myself than her, "If you can kid around again then you're fine."

"I wasn't kidding around." She denied, turning her teary eyes upwards to glare sullenly at me. "And hitting me is considered a crime, an act of cruelty against all Magical Girls. Do it again and I'll have you arrested. Besides, don't you realize how lucky you are? I'll have you know that I had witches chase me around for hours just for the chance to cop a feel of these puppies."

Snorting, I shook my head. Yeah, she was fine if she can still say something as outlandish as that.

"Fine be that way." At my obvious disbelief, Serafall looked away with a huff and crossed her arms. "See if I every offer to let you feel me up anytime soon. You missed you chance. It will be months, years, centuries even before you ever get another chance." She paused, before glancing at me out of the edge of her eyes. "...Though if you ask really nicely, I might be willing to cut the time down to a few seconds."

Yup, definitely an idiot for worrying. Ever since the meeting with her parents two days ago I had been watching over her constantly just in case but it looks like I had been wasting my time.

"Anyway, you may want to straighten your clothes a bit." I told her as I glanced down at her slightly ruffled maroon colored blouse and black pants, one of the few times I had need Serafall dressed up in sensible clothing.

We were currently inside the great hall of the King's Heights Arena, the place where all the Rating Games are held and where the preliminary round for this year's Young Devil's Gathering will take place. The hall was massive, easily large enough to hold several hundred people with room to spare, and with only the five of us in here it felt rather empty.

So far only Sirzechs, Grayfia, Ajuka, Serafall and I had arrived. The only ones in our party who were missing was Fablium, a Devil who was so enamoured with his sin of _Sloth _that nothing short of a national emergency could get him to do any work, and Ajuka's Queen, a man I never met or even seen before but who apparently was more of a scientist than anything and is usual left in charge of Ajuka's laboratory when he was away. And as neither of the two had be seen in public for over a decade no one was surprised to discover that they failed to appear.

The three Maous were all sitting on their ornamental wooded chairs, more like thrones really, while Grayfia and I stood to one side and a little bit behind our respective King. And though he was not here, a fourth empty throne was placed alongside the other three. All four of the thrones were placed upon an elevated staged set at the back of the Hall, one that was just high enough to see everyone and be seen in turn once the hall was packed full.

A pair of longer stages lined the length of the room, forming a 'U' shape with our stage being the bottom of the 'U', and upon them were a grand total of 72 ornamental desks and chairs. Those were the seats that were reserved for the Elder Council who would also be viewing the gathering along side us. In a few minutes the first of the Council should be arriving, taking their places after they all paid their respects to the Maous, and soon after that the candidates for the Young Devil's Gathering should arrive along with their respected Peerages.

The Young Devil's Gathering has evolved over the years to become something of a coming of age ceremony for Devils. For many of the participants it was their first opportunity to step out of their Clan's protection, to prove their own capabilities and make their own way in life. It was for this reason that a tradition was formed where the participating Devils would be given a chance to announce their intentions and life's ambitions before the fights began, to the very highest members of the Underworld and millions of others who were no doubt watching the broadcast of the event.

Though for now the hall remained empty except for the five of us, and while we waited for the others to arrive the Maous, leaders of the Underworld and epitome of grace and dignity that they are, have gotten bored. Sirzechs had apparently overheard Serafall's proposition to me which in turn inspired him to cop a feel of his own wife's assets, which explained why he was getting his cheeks pinched by said wife. Ajuka was messing around with some kind of tablet computer that I have never seen before while Serafall had promptly fallen asleep until I had woken her.

"Emiya." I turned to find Ajuka absently waving me over with one hand, though his eyes was still locked onto the tablet that he held with the other. "Come here for a minute, I need you to look at something."

Glancing at Serafall, who had thankfully decided to heed my advice and had begun straightening herself up, I decided that I could spare a few minutes and approached the green haired Devil.

"You needed me?" I asked once I reached his side but he didn't bother to glance at me, his focus completely on the little device, and held a hand up.

"Stand still for a moment, I'm almost done." he quickly typed something on the touch screen of the tablet before he pointed the computer at my direction and pressed a button at its side. There was a sound that almost reminded me of the shutters of a camera closing, before the page on the tablet's screen changed. Ajuka quickly scanned the page before he gave himself a satisfied nod and held the tablet out to me. "There, look at this and tell me if it's all correct."

Curious I accepted the tiny computer, almost double the size of my hand, and glanced down at the screen. Then I almost dropped the device from my nerveless fingers as I stared at the familiar looking profile page on it's screen.

_**Name**__: Xenovia _

_**Class**__: Knight_

_**Master**__: Emiya Shirou_

_**Official **__**Rank**__: Low-Class Devil_

_**Race**__: Devil / Human_

_**Gender**__: Female_

_**Status**__:_

_Strength: D-_

_Endurance: E_

_Agility: D+_

_Mana: E+_

_Luck: E_

_**Scared Gear/ Ability/ Weapon**__: _

_Holy Sword Affinity __**(lost)**_

_**Racial skill**__:_

_**-Devil**__: _

_ All basic abilities of a Devil are available._

_**Additional Information**__:-_

_Once a Holy Sword user, now no longer. Though the subject still retains that ability upon her Reincarnation, she can no longer touch or even approach a Holy Sword without self-harm. Thus this ability has become lost as she will never be able to __hold__ a Holy Sword ever again._

"…I can't believe it, you actually were able to finish it?" I quickly skimmed the additional information at the bottom of the page that explained how the Stats are measured.

"Not quite." The creator of the Evil Pieces replied, sounding almost disappointed in himself. "While I had succeeded in quantifying a subject's physical capabilities easily enough, their skills are a different matter. I have been unable to find a method to accurately identify a subject's skill set, let alone measure them and have been making no progress at all. The best I could do was create a program that analysed the subject's body and provides a basic assessment after taking into consideration what records we have on their history."

I first ended up meeting the notorious inventor of the Evil Piece system, Ajuka Beelzebub, almost on the very first day I had arrived in this world. While Serafall had a good idea of how the Evil Pieces functioned and was confident it would work just fine on Ilya and me, she wasn't going to take any chances and had sent us to the foremost expert on the subject.

Fortunately, other than a few minor adjustments to compensate for the existence of our circuits, the Evil Pieces seemed to be doing their job just fine. Still, in the name of caution, though I suspected it was more due his curiosity than any real concern over our well-being, the scientist had insisted on almost daily check up for the first month to make sure.

After spending so much time in each other's company that we naturally ended up talking. I had a lot of questions about the world I had found myself in that Ajuka was more than happy to answer so long as he got to ask his own question in return.

It was during one of these conversations we ended up talking about the difference between out magic-systems that I happened to bring up how Masters could understand the abilities of Servants simply by looking at them, and how much of a shame it was that Devils didn't have something similar. Ajuka was fascinated with the idea and before I knew it I found myself alone in the hallway as Ajuka teleported me out of his lab to start working on his latest project.

"It's called the Codex Gigas – the Devil's Bible." The teal eyed inventor explained. "It's still only a prototype model but the development phase is already complete, all that's left it to field test them, identify and fix any errors and it will be finished. My Peerage is already out testing their own copies and I would be with them right now if it weren't for the gathering. Never mind, with the variety of Devils participating this year I should have plenty of opportunity to find good test subjects." Ajuka nodded towards the codex I was still holding. "Speaking of which, how are the results? Is it an accurate assessment of your Knight?"

"As far as I can tell it's completely accurate." I answered while looking over the page. I had already noticed that Xenovia was slower than Kiba though she made up for it with raw strength, an unusual trait in a knight. No doubt a result from wielding an oversized sword like Durandal. And her slightly above average magic reserves could be explained by the spells she needed to learn as an Exorcist. "But why is it showing Xenovia's profile instead of my own?"

"The Codex uses the Evil Piece inside of you to gather its data, it won't work on a Devil without it. And as the King Piece is directly linked with every other Evil Piece under it's command it can be used to gather data from the entire Peerage."

"Still playing with your toys I see, Beelzebub." A voice commented, cutting into our conversation. "It must be nice to be so young and full of life."

Glancing up, I discovered that while I had been engrossed in my conversation with Ajuka over his latest invention a new individual had entered the hall.

Ajuka too seemed startled to learn we weren't alone anymore and looked up before releasing a barely discernible sigh when he recognised who was approaching, something I only noticed because of my proximity to him, but was he was quick to hide his reaction behind a lazy smile. And I could not blame him for his response when I too realized who had entered the hall.

The person that approached us was among the most dangerous entities in the Underworld, maybe even more so than the Maous themselves.

Even had this been the first time I laid my eyes on the man who approached the stage with calm confident strides, his pace unhurried even under the watchful eyes of the Maous, I would have known there was something different about him. He was such an unusual sight among Devils, a race that seemed to be blessed with eternal youth. With their limited ability to alter their appearance, and with enough vanity to use it, it was rare to find a Devil that didn't look young, as if they were in the prime of their lives instead of hundreds or even thousands of years old.

This man however was _old_, and unlike the majority of his race, he looked it. Instead of concealing his age, he flaunted it, donning it a cloak that he wore with pride. As if his advanced years was a sign of power rather than frailty.

Which was understandable seeing as he was the oldest Devil alive.

The fingers the peaked out of his sleeves were wrinkled and deceptively frail, though I knew that they held enough strength in them to bend steel. His swept back and once dark hair has long ago turned grey, only a few strands of black remaining to remind us of it's original colour. Crow's feet extended from the corners of his lavender colored eyes, set on a grandfatherly looking face, a polite smile pasted onto his lips.

"Bael," Ajuka nodded in greeting and gave the newcomer a lazy smile, "have the rest of the Council arrived?"

To say Zekram Bael was old would not be enough to convey how ancient the being that approached us was. He had lived in the time before the founding of the 72 Pillars, before the original Satans succeeded in conquering the Underworld and uniting it under one banner. He was the first head of the Bael Clan, the original Bael and the first Devil to wield the Power of Destruction. He was a survivor of the Unifying wars, the Great War and, more recently, the Civil War. And while others died and fell during those wars, only he prospered.

Always managing to come out on top after each war and only growing stronger with each passing millennia. Under his rule the Bael Clan became the most powerful of all the Pillars in the Underworld. There exists no other Devil from his generation, no other of the founding member of the 72 Pillars, all the other have perished long ago. Only he remained. There was no Devil alive that even remembers a time that Zekram Bael was not a powerhouse in the Underworld.

'Eras may come and go, Maous may live and die but Zekram, Zekram is here to stay', that such a saying existed among Devils was proof of how long he had been a dominating presence in the Underworld.

Zekram stopped his approach once he stood before the centre of the stage, pausing for a moment to scan the faces of the watching Maous, completely disregarding Grayfia and me from where I had returned to my place by Serafall's side, before gracefully dropping down to one knee.

Placing one fist on the ground, the other arm draped over his knee, Zekram bowed his head respectfully. "My Lord Satans, I apologises for the delay but all the preparations are complete." Announced the Head of the Elder Council. "The Council is ready and awaiting my Lords' permission to enter."

"Well what are they doing waiting outside for?" Sirzechs asked cheerfully. "Tell them to come in already."

"Of course, Lord Lucifer. I will do so immediately." Zekram lowered his head again before raising up to feet and turning back to the door. But before he completed his turn I felt his eyes pause on me, only for a fraction of a second, before he began his trek back to the great doors of the Hall.

It always seemed to be the eyes that gave away the true nature of Devils and I had found Zekram to be no exception. While every other thing about him gave the impression of an ordinary old man, his kind and wrinkled face, his frail delicate build, it was the eyes that proved everything else a lie. Those lavender eyes of his, that despite their colour somehow managed to appear so different than Serafall's, always shone with hidden power and more than a little madness, making them feel so wrong on his grandfatherly face.

I watched him as he reached the doors and opened them to usher in the remainder of the Council. Zekram was, to put it simply, dangerous. He was as ambitious and power hungry as they came, but unlike the others that came before and after him, his ambition was tempered by cunning, a wellspring of experience and a patience that could only be found in one that measured time by millennia. He held so much political power and so many people in his pocket that he probably had enough influence in the Underworld to match any single one of the Maous. And his influence only seemed to grow with each passing century. He was nicknamed by some as the fifth and hidden ruler of the Underworld, and that wasn't that far from the truth.

But despite all of this, I knew that Sirzechs along with the rest of the Maous trusted him. There was a reason why they allowed him to lead the Council.

Two hundred years ago when the former government of the Underworld, known today as the 'Old Satan Faction', were gearing up to resume the Great War with Heaven and the Fallen, it was Zekram that approached a young Sirzechs and proposed the idea of rebelling. It was him who convinced Sirzechs that the Devil race would be doomed to extinction under the hands of the Old Satan Faction with their unending hunger for war. And he wasn't wrong, if the Old Satan Faction were left unchecked they really would have ended the Devil race.

It didn't take much for him to convince the young Sirzechs of that truth, as even back then he had his own doubts about the action of the Old Satan Faction and was intelligent enough to see the writing on the wall, that the war would have spelled their doom. Under Sirzechs a new Faction began to form, what would one day become the modern government of the Underworld, but back then it was a tiny thing, barely a couple hundred Devils in all, most of whom were less than a century old. The fact of the matter was Sirzechs, even along with the other three future Maous who were among the first members, lacked the ability to start a rebellion to overthrow an entire government.

Sirzechs, Ajuka, Serafall and Falbium had the power, charisma, intelligence and drive to lead the new faction but they were still little more than children back then. They were in their twenties and only the Heirs of their respected house, not the Heads. They lacked the experience and credibility to convince an entire population to rebel under their banner. It was then that Zekram proved his worth. With his reputation and influence along with countless years of experience, he managed to give the then fledgeling rebellion the push it needed to grow and become the dominating force that managed to topple a government.

Zekram was dangerous, but he was a danger that was firmly on the side of the four Maous and the New Satan Faction. Whatever threat he posed otherwise, it was reassuring to know that should war arrive someday, whether it was against the Three Factions, Old Satan Faction or someone else entirely, that the monster known as Zekram Bael would be firmly on their side.

Though just because they trusted him, didn't mean they _completely_ trusted him. The man was a Devil in every meaning of the word and only a fool would entirely trust their back to a Devil, especially one that always happened to live while everyone around him died.

* * *

I hated to admit it, but Sirzechs was right.

As I listened to the latest participant announce their desire to win every one of their matches and become the new champion of the Rating Games, I had to fight back a yawn. It was a fine ambition and all, if it weren't for the little fact that I had heard that very same goal several times today.

I was standing by my place at Serafall's side, trying to keep the boredom off my face as I watched over the crowd of young Devils that have gathered in the hall. The participants of this year's gathering were standing in a single row before us, with their Peerage lining up behind them. I watched as another young Devil, someone who I vaguely reconsigned as the second daughter of an important Clan, walked out of the crowd to stand at the podium set before the watching Maous and Elders and announce her ambition and surprise, surprise it looked like we had another up and coming champion on our hands. That made seven future Rating Games champions so far and we weren't even half way done.

The goals I've heard up to now have ranged from upholding their Clan's honour to winning every Rating Game match to become the Head of their Clan and that was pretty much it. Oh sure they used different words but they were all more or less the same goal. Normally I would have been able to easily sit through all of this if it weren't for the little fact that there were well over a hundred Devils awaiting their turn to state their goals today and only forty of them had finished. That it didn't help that it took them on average several minutes to finish. They needed to walk up to the podium, announce their goals, respond to any questions posed to them by either the Maous or Elders before returning to their place in line.

It was simply put mind numbly boring, so much so that in a desperate attempt to keep myself awake I began to scan the hall to look for anything to keep my mind occupied. The first thing that caught my eyes was the Elder Council from where they sat on their chairs that lined the walls.

The name 'Elder Council' was a bit of an oxymoron and painted a false image of them. Despite its name, the Elder Council did not consist of only the old and elderly, there were more than a few young Devils mixed in their number, some only three or four centuries old. The Council gained it's name because its members were originally supposed to consist of retired Clan Heads, a place where they can put their considerable experience to good use while their children took up the mantle of leading their Clan. But after the Civil War, many of the previous Clan Heads have died, so instead they were replaced with other members of the Clan, younger siblings of the current head or one of the more talented member of a branch family.

Though despite the large age gap separating them, the members of the Council looked remarkably similar. Not so much in their facial features but in the way they dressed and conducted themselves. They were all dour men and woman, dressed up in uncomfortable looking formal clothing, and all held solemn expressions while they looked on over the ceremony, clapping politely or nodding in approval after every participant finished their turn.

Whatever their true age maybe, with but two exceptions so far, every Devil that sat on the Council looked young, somewhere around mid twenties to early thirties. They numbered 72 in all, every single one of them a member from a prominent Clan, either from the remaining 34 Pillars or one of the less prestigious Clans that managed to rise to power in recent years and fill up the gaps left by the fallen Pillars.

Honestly, they looked pretty much what you'd expect from a bunch of old-fashioned nobles and politicians. Well, except for one particular exception.

My eyes drifted to the council member who sat on the left side of the hall, who happened to be looking at my direction at the moment and winked at me when he noticed me watching.

The man in question was Councilman Mictlan -_please call me Mickey-chan _– Vine, the representative of the Vine Clan. He was the only other member other than Zekram that showed his true age. He had a long white beard that reached down to his toes and, unlike the rest of his fellow Council members, was dressed up in dark blue robes dotting with stars while he held a wand tipped with a yellow star in his hand.

He was a jolly old man that liked to call me 'Shirou-boya' and would ask me if I had received a wand yet. And every time I told him I didn't he would look heart-breakingly sad before cheering up and telling me to 'give it time boya, just give it time and you'll realise the wonders of Magical Girls'. _Not bloody likely_, but I liked the man so I would just nod politely in response.

Mictlan also happened to be the reason why the Council as a whole were terrified of Serafall.

Around three years ago Mictlan Vine was a grumpy grinch of an old man. He was so overly harsh and strict that one half of his family were terrified of him while the other half hated him, a sentiment that was shared by most of the Council.

One day, old Mictlan got fed up with how Serafall insisted on dressing up as a Magical Girl in public and engaged in a two hour debate with Serafall about her behaviour. To make a long story short, Serafall somehow ended up winning that debate and Mictlan Vine disappeared for good. In his place a man who looked remarkably like him but refused to be addressed as anything other than Mickey-chan walked out of the meeting room holding a star-tipped wand and would wink every-time he announced himself or cast a spell.

The terrifying thing was that he wasn't the first of Serafall's victim among the Council, he was the third and wasn't even the worst case. The last two council members who tried to argue with her ended up retiring form their position in favour of joining Serafall's show as Magical Girl's apprentices. Needless to say after that everyone learned to leave Serafall's Magical Girl obsession alone. These Devils may have been willing to die for their Pride, but what Serafall threatened them with was a fate worse than death.

I tried to ignore Archer's snarky voice in the back of my mind that happily pointed out there was a very real possibility that I might end up like old man Mictlan one day and maybe I should have listened to him all those years ago when he warned me that I had a fate worse than death awaiting me.

Quickly looking away in an attempt to rid my mind of such dark thoughts, I began scanning the middle of the hall room instead, where the row of Devils awaited their turn, their Peerage lining up behind them.

I quickly spotted Sona in the line, her tiny build making her stand out a little. She was dressed up in a business attire, not unlike what her mother usually wore, and her face was emotionless mask, as it always was when I saw her in public like this. Her entire Peerage were also similarly dressed and equally composed, though whether that meant that they were not nervous or simply knew enough to hide their unease I could not tell.

Not too far away from her was Rias Gremory, her Clan's famous red hair also making her easy to spot. Like Sona, both she and her Peerage was dress up for the occasion. Even Gasper was there, though the dhampir was cowering behind Kiba, burying his face in the knight's back so that he wouldn't have to look at the crowd around him. Behind him, Issei was trying to calm down the feminine blond but going by the way he would tug at the collar of his shirt and glance around, he too was a little bit nervous. And directly behind Issei stood a cloaked figure, Gremory's newest Pawn.

Unlike the rest of the Peerage the Pawn was covered from head to toe in a crimson cloak, the Gremory Clan symbol stitched on its back, completely hiding the Pawn's features from view. It was for that reason that I had no idea what her Pawn even looked liked, not even their gender or name. Gremory had made sure that her Pawn wore the cloak during the entire train ride over, so I never even gotten a glimpse of their face. Sona knew who the Pawn was of course, but she refused to tell me when I asked, having promised to help Gremory keep the Pawn's identify a secret until after she revealed it. And I had to admit, whatever they were doing to hide the Pawn's identity it was working.

Even now when I tried to sense what was underneath the cloak, I felt nothing coming from the figure. No magic, no life, it was like there was nothing there, as if the cloak just floated in mid-air. A ghost. As it was I couldn't even tell if it was the cloak itself that hid the Pawn from my senses, or if it was an ability the Pawn had. It almost reminded me of my Fallen-Ninjas, how they were easily able to hide their presence, but it was also different somehow.

And right now, that cloaked figure was staring directly at the stage. I couldn't tell exactly where the Pawn was looking at, not with their face obscured by the hood, only that their head has never turned away from where the Maous were seated even once over the last hour.

"Sairaorg Bael, step forward." The herald announced.

My eyes snapped back to the ceremony at that name as the entire hall fell silent, the murmuring, shuffling of feet and all the other the ever present background noises, all of it stopped, as if the entire room held its breath.

Seemingly unaware by the change in atmosphere, a young man stepped out of the line of Devils. He was taller, standing a head taller than most, towering over the other participants that stood in line. His hair was dark and eyes lavender, just like the other Bael in the room. And like his ancestor this Bael was an unusual sight compared to his fellow Devils.

As a race Devils excelled in their magical abilities, and those born from one of the great Clans were often gifted with magical potential that far outstrips the average Devil. It was for that reason why many of them had slim or even delicate builds, never seeing to need to train their bodies when their can focus on their magic instead. But not him, this one was built like a fighter.

Even hidden under his formal clothing, the muscles on his chest and arms were clear. They were not the bulky kind you'd fine on a person who worked out in a gym but the compact ones of genuine fighter, someone who developed them in the training field or by swinging a weapon in his hand. It was the build that was not dissimilar to that of Lancer or Archer, the Knight-Class Servants.

Without glancing about he calmly approached the podium, his steps confident, graceful despite having the eyes of most of the Underworld on him, reminding me so much of a great cat that I had no trouble where his second nickname came from.

This was the Strongest Youth, the Bael's Golden Lion, Sairaorg Bael.

Sairaorg paused when he reached the top of the podium, and looked unflinchingly at the watching Maous with his arms crossed before him.

"Sairaorg Bael," Sirzechs began, a fond smile on his face as he watched his cousin. "Many here I am sure have been looking forward for the day you entered the grand stage of the Rating Games. Many more were surprised that it took you so long to do so. I admit, I was one among their number who had expected for this day to come years earlier. If you'd indulge my curiosity for a moment, tell me, why did you take so long to arrive?"

Sairaorg said nothing, instead he turned his head to glance back over his shoulders. I followed his line of sight to find him looking towards his Peerage, where they stood waiting in line where he left them. His Queen, his two knights, two bishops, two rooks, and of course his Pawn, the infamous Nemean Lion that cost him all eight of his Pawn pieces to Reincarnate.

A full Peerage. One of the few here to have one.

"I see," Sirzechs said a moment later after he too followed Sairaorg's sights. He turned back to give the youth a nod of approval. "Now then, let us proceed. Sairaorg Bael, as a member of the new generation of Devils, tell us, what is your dream, you're life's ambition."

Sairaorg stayed slight as he looked at Sirzechs with his lavender eyes. A moment passed, then two and soon murmurers began to spill from the crowd as they became restless. Then, just as it looked like Sirzechs would have to repeat himself, Sairaorg spoke up.

"My Lord Lucifer," He began, eyes unflinching locked onto the Maou. "before I answer that question, will you permit me to ask you a question in turn?"

"Oh?" Sirzechs raised a hand to stall the objections from some of the Council and gave Sirzechs an amused smile. "It is unconventional, but I had asked a question first. Very well, I permit it. You may ask."

"Thank you." Sairaorg lowered his head before looked back up again, his entire focus on only Sirzechs and none of the other Maous. "My question is this, do you know what it means to be strong?"

At his words confused whispers once again rose up from the crowd and even Sirzechs had a bemused look on his face. It seemed that whatever he was expecting to be asked it wasn't that.

"Of course you do." Sairaorg carried on before Sirzechs had a chance to reply. "You were born strong. Talent, intelligence and even the greatest of the seventy-two bloodlines, the Power of Destruction, you had it all. You were destined to become strong from your very birth, a natural born genius, an existence completely different from someone like me."

Sairaorg shut his eyes and took a deep breath. "But I, I was born with none of that. No talent, no bloodline, not even a Sacred Gear. I had none of it. I...was weak." Sairaorg scoffed. "_Weak._ How many times have I heard that, have been called that? Weak, weak, weak, weak over and over till it haunted my dreams. People had been calling me that for as long as I can remember, since my earliest childhood memories."

He paused to take another breath, eyes still closed. "As I child, I thought it unfair. Why were they born strong while I was not? Why were some blessed with talent or abilities while others like me had nothing. Why even ordinary everyday human beings, who have never trained a day in their entire lives nor have fought in a single battle, can suddenly become infinitely stronger with barely any effort of their own, just by discovering they had been born with a Sacred Gear." Sairaorg scoffed and looked to the side, his eyes opening slightly. "Back then, I had begun to envy them. No, I still do."

"Yes, I _**Envy**_ the strong. The mighty, the powerful, those that stand high above others, I envy them all." Sairaorg looked to the sky. "But I was not counted among the mighty. Though their were words cruel they were not lies, for they spoke only the truth." He lowered his gaze so that he looked at Sirzechs again and nodded once. "_I was weak. _I was the weak, the trampled, the scorned. Talentless, discarded, unwanted, broken, _the_ _cripple. _All that and more.I was weak...but…"

"But no longer." Sairaorg held up an open hand before him and stared at it. "I trained Lord Lucifer. Harder than anyone, longer than anyone, more than a dozen times more than anyone else I knew of, I trained. Week after week, month after month, then year after year, and now decade after decade. While others played I spilled my blood until the very sands of the training ground were dyed crimson. When others slept I broke my fist open on the surface of boulders, fracturing my bones, grinding them to near dust. I suffered, I had cried and bled, but I did not stop, I bore all the pain all so that I may fill the hunger called envy that burned inside of me."

"And after all that," He clenched his fist. "I have finally achieved what I desired. I had turned my weakness to strength, transformed my envy to ambition, and forged my very body into a weapon. And at last I, the weak, have become strong."

"My dream?" Sairaorg lowered his fist and looked back at Sirzechs, "You, Lucifer, the strongest of all the Maous, Lord of all Demons, ask me what my dream is? Then allow me tell it to you. My dream, my goal, my life's ambition, is but one thing.

"To redefine the meaning of strength."

Sairaorg's voice steadily began to rise. "What does it mean to be strong? Is it to be born with power, a bloodline or a Sacred Gear? Is your birth what defines your strength? Or is it your race. If you are neither Devil nor God nor Dragon does that mean you are weak? Or perhaps it is your breeding, is that the secret to strength? Must a full-bred Devil always be superior to that of a half-breed? In the end, is strength simply defined by your birth?"

"No! I refuse to accept that! If that is the world's current definition of strength than I shall change it!" Sairaorg raged, his voice steadily rising until he had finally ended up shouting those last words few words. He took another deep breath before carrying on, speaking once again in a normal tone of voice.

"Bloodlines, natural talent, Sacred Gears – I will prove that such things are meaningless, that they are not what makes one truly strong, that true strength can still be achieved without them." Sairaorg eyes did not waver as they locked onto Lucifer's own. "I will prove that they are not needed to be strong. As one of the many born without, with neither talent, bloodline nor Sacred Gear I shall prove I can still become strong. The very strongest."

"Sirzechs Lucifer. Hear my ambition." Bael's Golden Lion gave Sirzechs a full blown grin as he pointed a fist towards him.

"_I will become Maou_."

The entire hall erupted with sound at that declaration. From the startled clamour of the crowd, to the approving cheers or disproving outcries of the Elders, the hall once peaceful all became a cacophony of noise. And the source of the chaos ignored it all, allowing the noise to fall upon him like the rain, yet sparing it no attention as he gave his focus to the Lord of all Demons.

Contrary to the rest of the room, the Maous whose positions had been challenge gave an entire different reaction. Serafall was snickering as she watched the insuring chaos before giving Sairaorg a thumps up, Ajuka was clapping his hand politely from where he lounged back on his thrones, while Sirzechs was giving the Bael Heir a smile the was a cross between amused and proud.

After letting the noise carry on for a minute, Sirzechs raised his hand for silence while simultaneously flaring up his power a bit. Needless to say the hall quieted down almost immediately after that.

"You wish to become a Maou?" Sirzechs began with the smile still one his lips. "So you too wish to one day challenge us?"

It was a unusual but not unheard of event for one of the four Satan's to be challenged. A Maou by definition was the strongest of all Devils, which was the only qualification one needed to be one. Each of the current Maous earned their position through the sheer power they demonstrated during the Civil War. Even afterwords, they were not autocratically given their positions but had to fight for it, driving off any of the other candidates. Serafall herself had to fight Grayfia to became the Leviathan, and had she lost that day, it would have been Grayfia sitting on that throne instead.

Even today Devils were still permitted to challenge the Maous for their thrones. After all, if a Maou is the strongest Devil then it was only natural for them to step down and be replaced by the one that surpassed them. Power was the only true measure of worth in the Underworld, everything else simply did not matter when compared to it.

However someone issuing a challenge was a relatively rare event, as all the current Maous' strength were legendary. It only happened once every decade or two at most, usually by an older and more experienced Devil. I don't think there had been a challenger anywhere nearly as young as Sairaorg before.

"And might I ask, whose throne do you seek?" Sirzechs waved a hand towards Serafall on his right. "Is it the Leviathan's title you desire?"

Serafall smiled and waved cheerfully at Sairaorg, not at all threatened. Still I took a protective step closer her, making it clear that if he tried to get to her, he'd have to fight me first. As her Queen it was my right to guard her from any challengers, and while I was sure Serafall could take care of herself there was no way I was going to let anyone fight her unopposed.

"Or will you aim for Beelzebub instead." Sirzechs then waved his hand to his left side to where Ajuka, who simply gave Sairaorg a welcoming nod.

Sirzechs didn't even bother pointing at Asmodeus's vacant throne, knowing that no one wanted to challenge him anymore. Though Falbium was considered to be the weakest of the four, he was also widely believed to be most cunning, a person who had plans within plans, and the Underworld has long learned the folly of challenging him.

The three who tried all ended up getting murdered a few days before their fight was to take place. While many suspected he was involved there was no proof linking Falbium to their deaths other than their convenient timing. In every case the killer was caught and each of them had their own motives for committing the crime, none of them had anything to do with the upcoming duel. The motives ranging from old grudges to spurned lovers. It just so happened that they decided to go through with their plans on murdering them after they challenged Falbium.

The scariest part was that Falbium never even left his house the entire time. The third challenger had even requested that Falbium be watched after he issued his challenge, and Falbium was only too happy to allow the challenger's own guards watch over him. And despite him being watched the entire time the challenger was found dead only a day later at the hands of a former mistress. That was over a hundred and fifty years ago and no one had challenged him since.

There was a reason why someone as lazy as Falbium remained a Maou.

Sirzechs then pointed to himself. "Or will you seek mine-"

"Lord Lucifer, why do you need to ask? Have I not already made my intentions clear?" Sairaorg spoke up, cutting Sirzechs off. "I have already said it, I will become the strongest. Therefore the only seat I desire is that of the strongest Maou." Again he pointed a fist at Sirzechs. "_Yours_. One day Sirzechs Lucifer, I will come for your throne and make it mine."

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed his declaration before the hall again erupted with sound. Though this time there were more yells of disapproval than support compared to last time. No surprise there, Sirzechs was an incredibly popular leader, arguably the greatest Maou the Underworld ever had. Sairaorg may have just lost more than a few of his supporters after that, but if the look he on his face was anything to go by, he didn't cared.

"As expected, you truly are remarkable little cousin." Sirzechs muttered thoughtfully while rubbing his chin, a tiny smile on his lips. His previous words were spoken quietly, so that only those on the stage and maybe Sairaorg may have heard him. Though his following words were loud enough that the entire hall heard it. "However, if you think the throne of the strongest is so easily reached then allow me to rectify that misconception."

Then Sirzechs Lucifer, the strongest Maou, stopped hiding his power.

In a blink of an eye almost every Devil in the Hall, from the rowdy contestants below us to the offended Elders on our sides fell silent before dropping down to their knees. They did not bend their knee willingly, but were forced to by the oppressive pressure that filled the air, their feet no longer able to support their own weight beneath it. It was crushing, so powerful that it felt as if the hand of a giant was pushing down on my shoulders.

Without lifting so much as a finger or speaking a single word Sirzechs Lucifer reminded all who stood before him of his might.

Even now, sealed, the power that poured out of him eclipsed everyone in the room, it was enough to bring them down to their hands and knees and cause them to tremble in terror. I knew that this was but a fragment of his real strength, that in his true form he was even stronger, _much_ stronger. And while Sirzechs continued to smile benevolently down at his subjects, his eyes told a different story. They were still blue, their pupils still round like that of a human, but there was something else there, a glint that wasn't there before, one that hinted of the madness that gripped his soul while hellfire flickered in the back of his eyes.

It took a considerable amount of will for me not to turn to face Sirzechs, to deny the urge to call upon my swords and guard against him. Instead I forced myself to nonchalantly look over the crowd from where I stood beside him, as if I didn't notice that Satan himself was but an arm's length away from me.

There were seven among the Elders that remained standing under Sirzechs's power, which did not come as much of a surprise. Unlike with humans Devils only grew stronger with age. And neither was I surprised to find that the Nemean Lion remained standing when I looked over the rest of the audience, the great golden lion didn't even look like he was affected by the change in the atmosphere. The last two who stood however did come as something of a surprise.

The first was Sairaorg. Though he was far closer to Sirzechs than the other contestants, thus suffered the most under the strain, he still managed to stand tall and proud as ever. Even as a bead of sweat broke out on his brow and spilled down his face he didn't let the wide confident smile on his face drop for an instant.

The other one to remain standing was the cloaked figure of Gremory's hidden Pawn.

Whatever the thing was, I hoped Gremory can control it. The thing didn't even look like it noticed what was happening, it hadn't budged an inch from when I last saw it, their hidden eyes still facing towards the stage, locked onto something or someone here. For the very first time I began to seriously contemplate the idea that her Pawn may be a legitimate threat.

"It is because it is hard to reach that I aim for it."

At Sairaorg words, Sirzechs cut off his power, hiding it away so thoroughly and quickly that it almost caught me off balance.

"If you understand that then there is no reason for me to warn you any longer." Sirzechs looked Sairaorg over with the amused-proud smile still on his lips, before he inclined his head. "You're ambition has been heard and acknowledged Sairaorg Bael. You may now return to your place."

Sairaorg bowed deeply towards the Maous before he turned around and made his way down the podium and back to his place in line. After a moment to gather himself, the herald shook himself free from his stupor and announced the next name on the list.

It took a while for everyone to shake off the effects of the last few minutes but soon the ceremony was under way again and I was listening to the eight – or was it ninth – future Rating Game champion tonight. It was actually bit of a relief after all that happened.

It was a shame though. If Sairaorg had aimed for any of the other Maous, I honestly thought he might have had a legitimate chance of winning one day. But Sirzechs, he was something different. He was Devil unlike any other I have met. I still remember all too well what he really looked like underneath. Even after all the warnings Serafall gave me before our fight, I was nowhere near prepared to face his true self, not even seeing the twisted corrupted thing the Holy Grail ended up becoming was enough to prepare me for what I say that day. Just the sight of it alone was enough to make me freeze up.

Almost an entire year had gone by since I had first fought Sirzechs and the memory of his true form still evoked a mix of revulsion, disgust and deep seated fear from me.

It was easy, so easy to forget that Devils were not human at times. They looked so much like us that it was natural to forget, for that knowledge to slip from your mind like water between your fingers. But they weren't human, nothing remotely like them. Their exterior was a façade, a lie, nothing but a false mask created many millennia ago by the Devils' forefathers so that they could better blend in with mankind. They had ended up wearing humanity's skin for so long now that the Devils themselves had forgotten they had another form.

And I only comprehended that truth when Sirzechs taught it to me.

Within my Reality Marble, the seat of my soul, where I understood and connected to anyone who walked on its soil, he showed me his true form, allowed the Devil's real nature to come through. He threw always his human shell, discarded his skin as if it were clothing and afforded me a peak at what lay in a true Devil's heart.

Howling madness, a hunger to own everything that could be his and to devour, destroy, end all that could never be.

What I saw was nothing remotely human.

No. It was a shame but should that day ever come that Sairaorg and Sirzechs ever fight, I had no doubt who would emerge victorious. And it really was a shame too. I mean if by some miracle Sairaorg did somehow end up winning and replace Sirzechs as the Maou it meant that...that...

Wait a minute... If Sairaorg wins would that mean I would never have to deal with Sirzechs again?

...It's official. I'm on team Sairaorg from now on.

* * *

"Women!"

"...Excuse me?" A baffled Sirzechs managed to ask after blinking a couple of times in bewilderment.

"I said, 'women'." The young man standing on the podium repeated unabashedly, showing not a hint of shame. In fact he sounded rather proud of himself at the moment. "My dream, my ambition is women."

Riser Phenex was a tall man, somewhere around his early twenties with messy blond hair, that looked like it was deliberately styled that way, and dark blue eyes. He was wearing a burgundy blazer with the Phenex Clan emblem embroidered on the right side, with matching pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his open blazer was dress shirt that had the top two buttons open.

Currently Riser had his hands on his hips as he smiled up confidently at the Maous.

"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time." Sirzechs actually looked a little unsure of how to react to Riser's declaration. "But what precisely do mean by that."

"I understand your confusion my Lord Lucifer." Riser inclined his head in a magnanimous manner. "So if you'll permit me, I shall explain."

Riser crossed his arms and shut his eyes, taking a moment to collect his thought before he began. "As I'm sure you must know, I am not the first born son of my Clan. Nor am I a second son either, but a lowly third. It is for that reason that I know I will never lead my Clan. No, that honour and burden falls upon the capable shoulders of my Lord brother. But that does not mean that I cannot be of use to my Clan. Quite the opposite, as my Lord brother's younger sibling it only right that I support him in fulfilling his responsibilities as the Clan Head, something that I am more than happy to do. For it is only natural for a son to aid his family and Clan. And I, Riser Phenex, solemnly swear to support my family to the very best of my abilities and fulfill all my duties as a member of the Phenex Clan." Riser actually gave a bow as he finished.

"However," opening his eyes, Riser rose up from the bow. "That cannot be called a dream. That is duty. And duty is something that all of us here has to an extent. Whether you were born from the noble blood of a Clan or recruited in a Peerage, we all have our own obligations and duty. And as Devils, we are only happy to fulfill them. But that is not a dream."

The Phenex's hands began to move in passion as he continued his speech, "A dream is more personal, something far more selfish than duty can ever be. It is something you only seek for yourself and no other. A dream is inherently a selfish desire. And I, my Lord Maous, am a Devil of Lust. And it because I am one, that I can say this without any doubt."

Here, the blond raised his hands up like a conductor, or a prophet bestowing the world words of wisdom.

_"__Women are great."_

Riser nodded to himself as he carried on speaking, not noticing the stunned looks the rest of on stage were wearing. "Women are the greatest gift upon the world. And as such it is only natural for me to long for them, to want and desire them. And I do desire them, all of them. Be they blessed with large breasts or small breasts, short or tall, blond, brunette, red haired, pony-tailed, twin-tailed or short-haired it matters not, I desire them. I wish for the best among them to be mine. That is my Dream. No, that is the Dream of all men. No," he corrected himself again, "That is what it means to be a _Man!_ Isn't that right_!?"_

Riser spun in place, turning his back to the Maous so that he may face the watching audience, and thrust a fist into the air. And to my complete astonishment, several members of the audience actually cheered.

Most of them were men of course, either participants themselves or a member of a peerage, but there were more than a few women cheering along as well. And did they every cheer, the applause and whistles were the loudest thing I've heard so far this evening. Not even Sairaorg's speech garnered such a reaction.

From where he stood among the crowd I noticed Issei nodding his head in agreement with Riser's words while he applauded passionately, tears running down his face. While not too far in front of him, Rias Gremory looked less pleased with Riser, as if she couldn't decide whether to feel mortified or pissed off at her fiancée.

Riser spun back to face ahead again, smiling widely. "So my Lord Satans, member of the Council, along with all who fear for the future of the Devil race, rejoice, for I, Riser Phenex will save our race. I beg of you to put your fears to rest because I hereby swear on my honour that I will dedicate the remainder of my life to noble task of repopulating the Devil race, and I will do it by sleeping with as many beautiful women as I can."

Once again cheers broke out but, as if there wasn't enough madness for one evening already, this time the _Elders_ actually joined in, laughing out in merriment.

"_Hahahaha! _Well that's one way to fix the population problem! _Hahahaha!"_

_ "__HA! _To be so young and full of vigour! It maybe a little foolish but that's how young men should behave!"

Sirzechs however did not look anywhere nearly as pleased with his little sister's fiancée.

"...Is that so." Sirzechs told Riser with what appeared to be an indulgent smile. Though I had gotten to know Sirzechs well enough to know he was furious inside. And I could not blame him for it. As if it wasn't bad enough to know that his sister was going to one day marry someone she hated, and who hated her in turn, now he learns that he is a sexual deviant with no intentions of being faithful.

If I hadn't know Sirzechs as well as I did, I would have almost felt sorry for him. But I knew better, so instead I felt sorry for Riser. There was a long time before the wedding was supposed to take place, until Rias Gremory graduated from University, and that was more than enough time for Sirzechs to teach Riser his displeasure.

_Ouch!_

I barely bit back a yelp of pain as I felt someone pinch my side. Glancing down, I found myself looking into Serafall's smiling face.

"Shirou." She began pleasantly. Too pleasantly, and I immediately knew she was angry with me over something. "I want you to know, I don't approve of harems."

Now _that_ caught me completely off guard. "Huh?"

"I said, I don't approve of harems." And I swear, I saw hellfire burn in her eyes dyeing them crimson. "_**U**__**nderstand**_?"

"Yes!" I nodded, knowing better than to do anything other than agree immediately.

"Good." She nodded, satisfied, before relaxing back onto her throne with a pleased smile on her face. But it was only a few seconds later before she perked up. "Oh!" She turned back to me. "Unless the Harem is made up of just So-tan, then that's alright. But that's only because I will always be a supporter of yuri-yuri sisterly love."

Then Serafall began to cackle manically to herself at her own joke. Or at least I hoped she was joking. If she wasn't then I was going to have to warn Sona, and warn her fast. If I don't her chastity may be in serious danger when her sister got her hands on her.

* * *

The sounds of muffled laughter filled the hall. It wasn't a laugh born from joy, or even amusement. It was mocking, the sound of contempt and ridicule.

An insult.

And all of it was aimed at the lone girl standing on the podium. Sona stood stoically as she always did in public, paying the laughter no mind, eyes only on the Maous. Even though it must have surely hurt to have her dream laughed at, she did not show it.

'_I wish to create a combat school. __One__ for __the__ Reincarnated __and Low-Class__ Devils' _was Sona's reply when asked for ambition.

And in response to her declaration all she received was scorn from the Elders. _There is already a school for true Devils – I see! So you are only a little girl who dreams! - It must be good to be so young and able to __think of__ such childish __thoughts__._

Though it was only the members of the Council who said such things. The rest of the hall's occupants did not share their sentiments.

The audience shuffled nervously on their feet, looking away from the spectacle, clearly uncomfortable with what was happening. Whether it was because they did not agree with the Elders, did not like to see one of their own humiliated so or-

***CREAK***

-or maybe because they had a clear view of a very pissed off Maou.

The arms rest of her throne has splintered under her grip, teeth gritted so hard that I could hear them creak, Serafall sat statue still as she stared at what was supposed to be her sister's grand début to the Underworld turned into a public humiliation with a face turned white with rage.

_Sigh, _it looked like I have to do something soon before Serafall ends up killing somebody.

But still, something was off. I turned my sight towards the jeering Council and narrowed my eyes as I tried to figure out what was going on. The entire Council was acting oddly, almost severely so. It wasn't like them to behave so heavy-handedly, they had always preferred more subtle methods to display their disapproval, nor was it like them to commit such an obvious blunder.

They surely must have known who Sona was, so why would they insult her so thoroughly in front of Serafall? She was also the Sitri Heir, so an insult to her was an insult to the entire Sitri Clan. And Liliana Sitri was not someone to be angered lightly. So why would they committed such a blunder? The Elders were no greenhorns in the political arena, there was no way they could have made a mistake that even I could easily spotted. Not unless they had something to gain that would offset the risk.

Then there was their comments about the Reincarnated Devils. That alone was a hot-button issue that they normally avoided like the plague.

With the rising discontent of Reincarnated Devils and the growing tension between them and the pure-bloods, the Maous and the Elder Council were faced with the real possibility of them rebelling within the next few decades. And with the Underworld still recovering from the Civil War, they cannot afford to start another one.

Which was why the Council had been doing their best for years now to avoid antagonizing them, publicly at least. Whatever their thoughts were on Reincarnate Devils, or half-breeds as many of them liked to call us, they were wise enough to keep such comments to themselves even though I new a considerable number of them looked down on them.

Yet here they were, not only mocking the Reincarnated Devils publicly but on live television with most of the Underworld watching. Surely they realized that the repercussion will be massive, yet they did it anyway.

No, there was something else going on here, something that I wasn't seeing.

I glanced towards Sirzechs, trying to figure out why the hell was he letting this go on. He was just sitting there, watching the Council like a hawk, but doing little else. So far any time anyone stepped too out of line, he would stomp on them hard, but now when I needed him the most it looked like he was content to let things play themselves out for some insane reason.

Before I could think on it anymore, I felt the air around me turned frigid, so cold that my breath began to steam. Turning to Serafall, found that her eyes had turned crimson, burning with hellfire, as hoarfrost developed upon the her broken throne, branching out like the roots of a tree.

_Oh damn it. _No time to figure it out, this has to end now or Serafall may really end up killing someone, hell, she may end up killing every one of them. And if the thoughtful looks Sirzechs was sporting as he watched over the proceedings was anything to go by, it still didn't look like he planned to interfere, which meant it was up to me to put a stop to this.

And one of the Councilmen just happened to give me the perfect opening to act.

"Excuse me." I cut the man off just as he was explaining the inferiority of the weak half-breeds to Sona in a patronizing tone. I made sure to keep my tone respectful, a politely smile on lips, while still rising my voice just loud enough to be heard over the din. "But did you just call me _weak_?"

I had to admit, hearing the entire hall fall silent at my words was oddly satisfying.

Sirzechs and the others had tried their best to suppress all the information they could on me, either my Reality Marble or my otherworldly origins would have been enough to make me a target of one of the various powers out there, so it was only natural for them to keep quiet about me, but even they had their limits. They could only hide so much. And apparently fighting a Fallen horde led by a twelve-winged Angel in front of members of all three Fractions went well past that limit.

The best they could do was suppress the information on my Reality Marble and all that happened inside of it. All the Devils who were drawn into it were loyal enough to either Sirzechs or Serafall to keep their months shut, while the Heaven and Fallen Faction were not in the habit of exchanging information with Devils. So there was that at least.

But even if that part of the tale was suppressed, the rest was not. The rumours of my victory has been spreading for months now, and I had no doubt that practically everyone in this room heard of some version of what happened.

And now the Devil who had beaten _the_ Kokabiel, a Reincarnated Devil who was strong enough to make the greatest of the Maous bleed, just overheard the entire Council call his kind weak. As if it wasn't enough to make them worry, it was well known I was a Devil of _Pride_, the kind of Devil that never reacted well to insults. Actually, we were rather infamous for taking insults rather badly.

I watched the councilman in question turn deadly white as all the blood drained from his face when he realized that by calling half-breeds weak right in front of me he may have inadvertently insulted me, and I couldn't find it in myself to feel any pity for him.

"No, I-I-" The man stuttered as he tried to backtrack but I was having none of that.

"Now correct me if I'm wrong," I cut him off, still holding a polite smile that was fooling no one. "but I distinctively remember you saying that all the half-breeds are weak. And I believe as a Reincarnated Devil, I fall under the category of half-breed. So I'll ask you again," this time I dropped my smile and let my tone turned cold, "did you just call me weak?"

There, that should be enough. I didn't want to start a fight here, just warn them off enough so that they'll back off from Sona, so I'll leave things at that. Sona won't get an apology or anything but they should drop the issue and move on now that-

"Yes, we are." The voice cut through my thoughts like a knife.

_Huh?_

Whirling in surprise, I turned to discover that Zekram Bael was the one who had spoken up. The oldest Devils was smiling pleasantly at me from where lounged on his chair, eyes crinkling in merriment.

"What did you just say?" I managed to ask, more out of disbelief at what I heard than anything.

"I called you weak." Looking like nothing more than a kindly grandfather playing with his grandkids Zekram hurled another insult at me, while his mad lavender eyes danced with barely hidden mirth. "Did you not hear me, or are you half-breeds deaf as well as weak boy?"

I don't think I was the only one stunned at that. Most of the hall's occupants turned to Zekram in shock, jaws dropping. Even Sona, who didn't budge an inch when she had been mocked, gave Zekram a look of wide eyed disbelief.

For a moment I felt a flash of genuine rage flare up inside of me, almost overcoming my reasoning before I forced it down. This wasn't the time to let my temper get the better of me, especially over some petty insults. I needed to think.

What the hell was Zekram trying to do? This is not something that can be brushed aside anymore, not without making myself, and through me Serafall, appear weak. Not when he said it so publicly. Why would he do something like that?

The only thing I can think of was Zekram was deliberately trying to provoke me, but for what I had no clue.

"Zekram Bael." Sirzechs spoke up, finally breaking his silence and saving me the trouble of thinking up a response, but unlike the rest of the room he didn't look shocked by the turn of events. Rather he appeared intrigued. "Have you already forgotten? Unless my memory has failed me I distinctly recall you being there when I fought with Emiya here."

"With all due respect my Lord Lucifer," Zekram nodded pleasantly to Sirzechs, "I have seen nothing. All I remember seeing was a large sphere of fire and nothing else. It wasn't much of a fight."

Devils can sense magic on a scale that the Magi of my old world could not even begin to imagine. In many ways that sense was as important to them as the sense of sound was to humans. This made watching the early Rating Games an unenjoyable events for Devils, as they couldn't use their magical senses to observe the fight, not when the fights were held in a pocket dimension to prevent the risk of injury. To them it was like watching a movie without colour or sound. _Bland_.

The solution to that problem was rather simple. After a few experiments and false starts, Devils managed to create a monitoring system that displayed magic, making it visible to the ordinary eye. While not a perfect substitute, it was enough for Devils to make due. Now when the audience watched the matches, they could see the combatants' magic and spells. Even those that are not supposed to be seen, such as Sacred Gears that can turn their users invisible, are now visible to the audience as their magic gave them away.

When I summoned my Reality Marble, called forth the Unlimited Blade Works, instead of the empty place they should have seen, a dome of illusionary fire appeared. It did not burn nor emit any heat, but it's traced the area where of my Reality Marble overlapped with the world, where it was tethered into this reality.

"As for his fight with the Fallen," Zekram chuckled a little, "That was even worse. Though we know a fight did happened, and that they boy had somehow emerged victorious, but that was all. All the information on _how_ he won was missing, just like when he fought with you Lord Lucifer. Rather convenient don't you think, this pattern that keeps emerging, how the boy claims victory when none of the witnesses can explain how he won?"

...I do not know why, but for some reason I felt as if I had just walked into some kind of elaborate trap. And even know I couldn't figure out what the trap was. My mind was still reeling from how quickly things went from Sona's dream to the authenticity of my previous fights, as if I was some kind of fraud.

"And what would it take to convince you of young Emiya's strength?" Sirzechs seemed to find the entire situation far too entertaining for my liking. "He has already battled me and a twelve-winged Fallen. Who do you propose he fight next, a God?" Sirzechs lips quirked up in amusement, before inclining his head towards Zekram. "Or perhaps you wish to duel him."

"Oh no, no. An old man like me would be no challenge. With these old bones of mine I can barely walk anymore let alone fight."The Underworld's hidden ruler lied through his teeth as he laughed the suggestion off. "No, what we need is for him to fight in a public setting so that there can be no doubt of his ability. Perhaps with a younger opponent, one more along the line of his age."

Then Zekram Bael deliberately turned his eyes to the middle of the hall, where a hundred and more young Devils lined up, with their Peerage right behind them.

_The contestants for the Young Devil's Gathering._

"Well, would you look at that." Zekram's eyes widened in mock surprise before he turned to give me a kindly smile. "How old did you say you were boy?"

Sirzechs gave a tiny nod, so even though I felt the noose tighten around my neck, I resisted the urge to lie and answered. "Nineteen. Twenty in less than a month."

"Is this what they call the 'Devil's luck I wonder?" The old Devil chuckled and shook his head. "The Young Devil's Gathering cut off age is twenty-five, and you just happen to be eligible to participate." Zekram gave me another of his grandfatherly smiles, even as he locked those mad-tainted eyes on me. His lavender eyes seemed to swirl as they bore into me. "Well, Emiya. What will you do? Will you fight, or will you run?"

...As if he left me any choice. He insulted me in public, questioned my ability to fight, and then asked if I would run away from what amounted to the Underworld's children. If I did anything but fight my reputation would be ruined beyond repair. And not mine alone, Serafall would get dragged down with me.

So knowing I had no real choice, I glanced towards my King for permission. Serafall still looked furious, glaring daggers at Zekram, but after a moment she nodded her head in consent. Having received permission, I turned back to Zekram.

"Very well." I nodded, staring him right in his eyes, refusing to give another inch more than I already did. "I will join in this year's gathering."

"Excellent my boy, excellent." The Bael ancestor clapped his hands once in delight. "We will finally get to see this 'strength' of yours half-breed. Let's see if it can match up against a real Devil's." His smile began to turn oddly sly as he continued. "And of course, you will be forbidden from using that fire trick you utilized on your match against the Lord Lucifer."

I felt my eyes narrow in confusion as I tried to figure out what he was talking about. Fire ability, what fire ability? What was he talking about? All I used against Sirzechs was my swords and my-

It hit me like a bolt of lightning. My Reality Marble, he was talking about my Reality Marble.

"And why should I permit that Bael?" Sirzechs asked, sounding please with how things was panning out, happy as if he planed the entire thing himself. And with Sirzechs who knows, he was a crafty bastard, so maybe he did. "It is his ability, why should he not use it as he pleases?"

"Because my Lord Lucifer, we want to see the boy fight." Zekram explained. "If all we end up is seeing another wall of fire then there will be no meaning in it."

And while I hated to admit it, the man had a point. Nothing inside my Reality Marble could be observed from the outside. But in the end there was no need for that rule, I had no intention of using it in any of the upcoming fights. The Unlimited Blade Works was my trump card, there is no way was I going to allow anyone to catch a glimpse of it unless I had to. And a Rating Game where no one's life was on the line did not qualify.

Sirzechs as well must have known this, because he quickly approved his request. "Very well, I'll permit it. For the remainder of the gathering, that ability will be banned from use in Rating games. Now unless if there is anything else you wish to add before we wrap up the ceremony?"

"Ah, there is one last thing Lord Lucifer." Zekram spoke up, apparently still have one more card to play. "It is tradition for Devil's participating in the gathering to state their life's goal in the ceremony. Now that the young Sitri has finished, that means that all of the original participants have had their turn. Presuming of course that the young Sitri has indeed finished."

Zekram smiled kindly down at Sona while giving her a questioning look. Sona, being the bright person she was, quickly nodded and walked of the podium. Good girl, she must have realized by now that the response she received from the Council had less to with her dream and more to do with some kind of political play. The best she can do now was back away and stay out of the line of fire.

"Good, now that all of the others are done, all that's left is you boy." Once again I found myself staring into Zekram's twisted eyes. "Now tell us, Emiya Shirou, what is your dream, what is you're life's ambition?"

Shutting my eyes, partly so that I didn't have to look into those eyes anymore and partly so that I could remember better, I thought back to that day not too long ago yet somehow felt like a lifetime away. When I sat down in a park and met an Angel.

While I did not know it then, it was thanks to his words that I received underneath those swaying green leaves that I knew what I must do in this world.

"It is pointless." I opened my eyes and looked straight at Zekram, "There is no meaning in telling you my dream today, when you'll see it come true yourself before long. So instead allow me to tell about what will happen in the immediate future. A prophesy if you will, of not too distant events."

Turning away from Zekram, I looked towards the middle of the hall, where the rest of the participants have lined up.

The expression on their faces were diverse. Some of them looked confused by the current situation, the events of the last few minutes having caught them off guard and they were still trying to process it. Others looked like they simply did not care, as if the inclusion of a single Reincarnated Devil made no difference to them.

But most of them, most of them looked back at me with growing horror, as it slowly began to dawn at them that in addition to Sairaorg, an Ultimate-Class Devil has joined in the fray.

Sona was part of the latter group. She knew better than any other competitor here how strong I was, and understood me well enough to realize that I wasn't going to hold back, not even against her. And if the terror-stricken faces of her Peerage was anything to go by, they thought so too.

As for Sairaorg, well, he was the only one who looked pleased with my entry, if the eager smile he was giving me was anything to go by. One that I matched.

Devils of Pride never did take insults well, not at all. And even if I did hide it rather well, I was furious. In the span of a few minutes I had been called weak, had the legitimacy of my strength and every fight I fought in questioned and then was played like a pawn on a chess board that I could not see. Everyone had their limits, there was only so much one can take before they snapped.

And I was dangerously close to mine

"In this year's young Devil's Gathering." I looked back at Zekram and pointed at the gather participants before I delivered my prediction.

_I __wi__ll crush every __single one __of them__._

* * *

_***Story End***_

**Author's notes:**

** And there we have it, a new chapter complete and Shirou has entered the Rating Game. When I first planed this chapter out it was supposed to last all the way until the first round of fighting and it was supposed to include a talk where all the politics of the events is explained to Shirou, but as usual my writing ballooned so I cut it off here and save the rest for the next chapter.**

** This chapter was much easier to write than the last, my writing flowed so much better, I guess I'm finally back to the groves of things. Or maybe I'm in London again (my cousin got into a university here so I'm helping him move), I did end up writing chapter 10 here so may the environment helps. Which reminds me, if any of you know any good anime, manga or fanfiction clubs I can visit here send me a PM. There doesn't exist anything like that back home.**

** Some people had trouble understanding past events so I included a time-line. It's only a rough one but it should help a bit for those who care.**

** Rough Time line:**

** 1000 years ago – **The Great war ended and the original Maous along with God died. The Maous' children inherited their position (making them the 2nd generation of Maou).

** 225 years ago – **Sirzechs and co were born within 3 years of each other.

** 205 years ago- **Civil war stared.

** 200 years ago – **Sirzechs and co. Killed the Original Maou children and took their place as the new Maous (That would make them the third generation of Maou).

** And before you ask, Rias's pawn is 100% canon.**

** I received several PMs of people worried that I may abandon my other story, 'A World Full Of Monsters', well don't be. I plan to write both this story and that, juggling between them if I ever get into a funk again.**

** And I made a mistake in the last chapter. I wrote Serafall's eyes as violet (like in the anime), when it was supposed to be blue (like in the light novel). I decided to stick with violet from now on and go back make the changes to the older chapter. I will also use this chance to fix my old spelling mistakes and error.**

** So that's it for now. How did I do? Did you like what I did with characters and the declaration of their dreams, especially Sairaorg and Riser (I wonder if any of you expected Riser)? Or how about Serafall/Shirou/Evelyn? Tell me what you think, as usual I'd appreciate any and all comment.**

** Thanks for reading. **


	18. Chapter 18: Can Immortals Bleed?

**Author's Notes:**

**And here it is, the start of the Young Devil's Gathering. Since so many of you were eager of bloodshed after the last chapter I was left with no choice to deliver the GAR all of you wanted. Oh and I addition to my regular Beta, I had Mabawabawa volunteer to help me fix up my writing. So if this chapter's quality is much higher than my usual standards it's them you should thank.**

**Now onto the show.**

***Chapter Start***

* * *

_**Chapter 18:**_

_**Can Immortals Bleed?**_

_ Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap._

I watched the screen as all three of the examiner's Pawns, unseen by their foes, managed to slip past the participant's guard and into the their territory unopposed. Allowing a Pawn, with their ability to promote, to successfully enter your territory in a Rating Game was a potentially lethal mistake. To let three Pawns in all but guaranteed your defeat. A basic mistake to be sure, but seeing how hard pressed the participant's Peerage was an understandable one. As it was even without the three Pawns joining in the fray they were hard pressed, and it took everything they had just to keep from being overwhelmed by the examiner's Peerage, and they were just barely holding on as it was.

Still, I looked away from the screen. There was no point in watching after that. With the Pawns promoting themselves into Queens the fight was as good as over. Though it wasn't the worst performance I'd seen so far, it wasn't likely they'd make it past the examination round of the gathering. Then again it was still early; if the rest do badly enough they might just manage to squeeze through.

_ Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap._

It had only been a little under half an hour since I found myself roped into the Young Devil Gathering, and currently I, along with some of my fellow participants, were waiting in a room for our turn to face the entrance exam.

The waiting room was fairly large but nowhere near enough to hold us all, so only the Devils who were expected to take the exam within the hour needed to stay. The rest were allowed to wander the arena until their names were called. Still, even with less than a tenth of the competitors in here with me, the place was filled to the brim. As if the competitors alone weren't enough they had to bring along their entire Peerage as well. The place was so crammed that you couldn't stretch your arms out without smacking someone the face.

...Well, except for around me. At some point a large pocket of space happened to form around the sofa I had chosen to sit on, one of many that lined the walls, as if every Devil in the room preferred to remain cramped and uncomfortable to coming anywhere near this spot.

_Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap._

_'__I wonder why?_' I thought and barely resisted the urge to snort at the cowards.

Usually the room wouldn't have been anywhere nearly as jam-packed as this but it just goes to show how ill quipped the Gathering's organizers were to handle the number of Devils who wanted to participate this year. Normally the number could vary from as many as thirty to as few as ten. This year however was different, the expected amount of competitors was overwhelming. Just a few days ago the total number of contestants had been just over a hundred and twenty, but a lot of last minute applicants poured in since then and the number had ballooned until it was closer to a hundred and fifty.

Simply put, there were too many Devils participating this year. So in order to handle the excessive amounts of participants, an examination would be held to quickly trim down the numbers to more manageable levels, weeding out the weakest of the bunch in process, before moving onto the main event. In other words, an elimination round.

Ordinarily there shouldn't have been any matches held today, not so soon after the opening ceremony. Hell, ordinarily there shouldn't have even been an entrance examination, period. But as was quickly becoming painfully apparent to all, there was nothing ordinary about this year's Gathering.

The exam was a simple one. Each Devil and their Peerage would be pitted against an examiner in a Rating Game. A panel of judges would observe the match and judge the participants on how they performed. Once every Devil had a chance to fight, the scores will be tallied up and ranked and the top 64 performing Devils will be allowed to join the official tournament three days from now.

What had most of the competing Devils nervous about the upcoming exams was not the content of the exams themselves, but who were chosen to implement them. The examiners. Each examiner was a hand-picked veteran of the Rating Games, all with at least a solid decade of experience. Fortunately for the young Devils they were not expected to win; they simply needed to perform well enough to pass.

Still, I'm sure that it didn't help everyone's morale that every competitor who had taken the exam so far had lost. If the anxious, nervous air that filled the place was any sign, the tension was so thick that it felt you could cut it with a knife. The room was rather quiet when you considered that there were a good ten or twelve dozen Devils crammed in here with me. Almost no one spoke and the few who did, did so in near silent whispers, and other than the shuffling of feet as the crowd stirred in unease nothing else could be heard.

Then again if the infrequent glances that they sent my way maybe were any indication maybe it wasn't the exam that had them so nervous. Maybe they were nervous of me. Going by how they would hurriedly look away whenever I caught someone's eye it almost felt that they were afraid of me, as if they believed that I would snap and attack them if they happened to draw my attention. Though I had no clue what gave them that idea-

_Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-ta__p._

-Then again, maybe it was the way my left leg wouldn't stop jumping up and down in agitation, the heel of said foot tapping a rhythm on the hardwood floor, that scared them away. Or maybe it was how I growled at the last person who happened to stray too close to me.

I ignored how most of the Devils in the room kept glancing down or away whenever I looked around, pointedly refused to meet my gaze, and instead I shut my eyes and took a deep breath in an effort to calm myself. I had hoped that watching the matches would have helped take my mind off of things and reel in my temper a bit but it didn't seem to be working if the way the rest of the room was behaving was any indication.

If I had been in my normal state of mind I would have felt mortified at the way I was behaving. Terrifying a bunch of people, some of them still only teenagers, for no other reason than they happened to be stuck in the same room as me. But as I was now I couldn't seem to bring my self to care or feel anything really, other than the overwhelming desire to hurt someone as the rage continued to burn in the middle of my chest. So fiercely that I found myself glancing down to make sure that my shirt hadn't burst into flames.

Yeah, I couldn't blame them for staying away.

Because I was truly and thoroughly _pissed!_

Even now, almost half an hour after my confrontation with Zekram my anger hasn't abated. No, if anything it had managed to get stronger, time just helping it grow instead of cooling it down as I had hoped. Even shutting my eyes didn't seem to help as I just kept replaying the scene of Zekram calling me a fraud over and over again in my mind. They way he smiled down at me as if I was nothing but a child, or how his mad eyes danced with amusement as he hurled insult after insult. It had gotten so bad that more than once I had to restrain myself from lashing out at the other Devils in the room. So maybe they were smart to stay away.

Yet, a small part of me that wasn't overwhelmed by rage couldn't help but ask: why the hell was I so angry?

I could understand being upset after what happened, anyone would be, but I didn't understand where all of this anger was coming from. Not even what Zekram did warranted this feeling from me. This rage, this overwhelming need to smash his face in, or anyone else's if couldn't get to him, was so unlike me that I couldn't understand where it came from.

I tried to sort out my emotions, examine what I was feeling so I could understand the source of my rage but no matter how hard I thought about it I came back empty. At first I thought it was my Pride acting up again, reacting to the perceived insults I had suffered but now, now after half an hour after the event and I still hadn't gotten my temper under control I wasn't so sure anymore. A little anger from me would have been understandable but I was _livid _and I couldn't even figured out why.

Even when Sona crushed me in her chess games in front of her Peerage I never felt anything like this, not even Xenovia dismissing my swords did. Back then it had hurt, it had stung having my Pride tarnished like that, but it sure as hell didn't make me mad. Not like it did now.

And it just kept building up.

What the hell was happening to me?

I knew that if I didn't do something to let out all the anger and soon, I'd explode, and even in my current state I knew I must never allow that to happen. I had to fix this and soon before I ended up hurting someone.

_Fortunately_, I thought as I looked towards the screen to find the next round of exams just starting up,_ I knew just the thing to help me let __off__ some steam_.

I was not sure if it qualified as irony that the very competition that played a big part in creating my anger would help me fix it, but if nothing else something told me I would find fighting the examiners an oddly therapeutic event.

Now all I had to do was make sure I kept my temper in check till then.

"I was wondering if something like this would happen." My seat dipped a bit as someone sat down on the sofa beside me. "It took a while but it looks like it's kicking in, and hard."

Without even thinking I turned and snarled, a noise more animal than human. I bared my teeth in rage, even as a part of me screamed with glee as I finally found a target to vent my frustration on, only to end up pulling myself short when my eyes registered whom it was that had sat down next to me.

"Easy there Shirou." Sona had turned in her seat to face me, holding both her hands before her in a placating manner. Though her voice sounded soft her eyes were watching me carefully, as if I was some kind of wild animal and she couldn't quite decide yet whether or not I was dangerous or. "It's just me."

It was like having a bucket of icy cold water poured over my head and being sucker punched in the gut all at the same time. Watching Sona act like this, afraid as though I might genuinely hurt her, had hit me harder than anything had so far and I felt all my rage sputter out and die inside of me. And with it went all of my nervous energy and I found myself slumping, feeling oddly exhausted.

"What am I doing?" I found myself questioning out loud as I dropped back into my seat, "What the hell's wrong with me?"

Though I had been speaking to myself more than anyone, to my surprise, I received an answer.

"It's your _Wrath_," Glancing to my side, I found Sona shooting me a sympathetic look as she reached out to give my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "It's finally starting to manifest itself."

"Wrath?" I shooting Sona an odd look, "What are you taking about?"

There was a curse that all Devils carried, a burden that we shared and united us as a race. It affected us all, both the Pure-blooded and Reincarnated. Weak and mighty, we were all equally cursed.

The _Seven Deadly Sins_: Pride, Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth and Wrath.

When I first found myself in this mad new world, in a body no longer human, Serafall had told me about this curse and I had been warned to choose, fast, which one of the seven I wanted to embody. At first I honestly had trouble believing what I was hearing. '_Devils needed to Sin or else we died__'__,_ it sounded more like an elaborate excuse for Devils to justify their actions than anything.

But the more I researched it, the more I understood that Serafall had been completely serious. Devils really were cursed, and one way or another we inevitably embody a Sin.

Trying to resist never worked. Even should they try to avoid embodying or indulging any of the seven sins, a Devil will eventually end up developing one on their own. Without fail. A Sin will manifest itself in the Devil's personality, engraving itself deep into their psyche, and unlike the artificially developed Sin that we choose, Devils have no control over a natural one. Not over which of the seven it manifests itself as or over how much hold it has on us.

I have read of Devils who had developed the Sin of Sloth that became so lazy, they simply dropped dead one day when _breathing_ became too much of hassle to bother with. Of how Devils with Gluttony will never stop eating, not even when their own stomach bursts, they just pick up the food as it spilled out of their guts and stuff it back into their mouths. Of Prideful Devils who became so narcissistic that they could never stop staring in their own reflection, preferring to gaze at their face even over eating or sleeping. Some had even died in combat when they caught sight of their reflection on an enemy's sword and walked into the blow just so that they could get a better look. And those were some of the better stories.

_ All_ Devils embodied a Sin, the only choice we had was whether we control the Sin or it controlled us.

So we chose to Sin instead, embodied it so that we may control it instead of being controlled by it.

Shirone who ate more food than five fully grown men combined in a single meal, who would continuously sneak into my kitchen to mooch off my cooking had obviously chosen Gluttony as her Sin.

Kiba was once Wrath, his desire to avenge his lost friends overwhelming everything else in his life. But when he chose to abandon his quest for revenge he could no longer continue as he was and had to adopt a new Sin instead. And by the looks of things he was going to end up choosing Lust. His sudden interest in porn and his apparently budding friendship with the Perverted Trio all pointed to that.

Though for most people learning that they were forced to embody a Sin or be driven mad would have been an unwelcome experience, it wasn't that way for me. When I had first began to comprehend what it meant to become a Devil I felt something akin to relief. For while others may have seen it as a burden, I saw it as a form of salvation.

When the time came for me to choose my own Sin I didn't hesitate, on the contrary, you could even say I was almost eager for it. There was only one thing it could have been.

Pride.

Priests loved to claim that all sins were evil; that we must never hate and to always turn the other cheek, should never be greedy nor feel envy to those who had more than us. But what they failed to understand that it was those very sins that made us human. That if there ever was such a person who could be deprived of all sin, then that person could no longer be considered human.

We were human because we proud of our accomplishments, envied our neighbour's success, lusted over the beautiful, desired more money than we needed, ate more than simple bread and soup, lazed in bed on Saturday mornings and wanted to hurt those who hurt us.

_ Pride, Envy, Lust, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth and Wrath. _Without these sins, if there ever existed a person who was completely devoid of even a single one of them, they would no longer be human. And I knew all too well what happened when one was incapable of feeling one of these Sins. I had seen it, in a man completely devoid of Pride.

The Counter Guardian EMIYA, Archer of the Fifth Holy Grail War and my alternate self taught me that lesson well.

That man, he had no Pride in him, none what so ever. Not in himself nor his accomplishments. Victory after victory yet he tasted none of it, even as he continued to wander through countless battlefields, not even noticing the losses he suffered. He had saved hundreds, even thousands of lives, but they meant nothing to him, never satisfied nor proud of his deeds.

Devoid of Pride, his hard won victory held no meaning.

Even his favoured swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, reflected his nature. For those two swords also had no Pride in them. They lacked the vanity found in other blades, a sense of purpose found in almost all other weapons.

They were swords crafted more for the sake of crafting, as if questioning the meaning of the swordsmith, than any real ideal behind their creation. They contained no fighting spirit to defeat others nor the competitive spirit to beat other weapons, they held neither the desire to be famous nor the ambition to accomplish great deeds. They were empty of anything resembling _spirit._

Empty of both victory and defeat, just like he was.

I...I didn't want to be like that. While I didn't believe his path was the wrong one, not his desire to save people or his dream of becoming a hero, it was how he went about it that I could not accept. I may have chosen to walk down the same road he had but the way we lived our lives would be different. Otherwise it would just be too sad.

Besides, I did promise him that one day I would find a way to save myself alongside other.

And while I had never was as bad as Archer had become, I had never quite been normal. The fires that blazed through Fuyuki on that day had distorted me just as much as they did him, erased a part of me that could never be fully regained. It made me less human, twisted me enough in some fundamental way that Rin had been left with no choice but call me _Distorted_.

But now, only after I had discarded my humanity and became an inhuman Devil, I had finally become prideful, a human trait that I lacked when I had still been human.

I still remember how different things were afterwards. How after tasting a meal I made and found myself thinking in realization that 'I could cook something this good'. Though I was always aware of my ability to cook it was only at the moment that I began to think that I might just be a little bit special for making something so delicious. It was then that I began to take pride in it than simply being aware of it.

Then there were my swords.

I had been called a Faker and not once did I feel ashamed of it. I had always wondered why Gilgamesh seemed to think of it as an insult when he was simply pointing out the simple truth? I _was_ a Faker. My swords were copies, nothing but forgeries that will always fall short of the original. So calling them fakes was only natural.

Or at least that was how I used to think.

Now I realized that it did not matter. Counterfeit or not, forgeries or not, my swords, they were still beautiful. I finally could recognize that even if they did fall short of their original, it did not take away from their own value, did not lessen their beauty. And that I was able to craft such wondrous swords, well, maybe that was something worth taking pride in.

I had finally found Pride in my swords.

It could be nothing but the purest of irony that only now that I was no longer human, I finally was starting to behave like one. If Rin had been here, I was sure she would claim that I had become so distorted that I circled right back into being normal again.

Which was why Sona's words confused me, she knew just as much as I did which Sin I embodied. She shared it after all.

"Sona, what are you talking about?" I asked, eyeing the raven haired girl. "What does Wrath have to with what's wrong with me?"

"Everything, I'm afraid." Sona snorted and pushed her frames up her nose before giving me a very pointed look. "Tell me Shirou, how often have you been indulging your Pride?"

I blinked, not expecting that question. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, how often do you brag about your accomplishments, boast about your achievements?" She was still giving me that pointed look as she spoke. "How often do you try to show off? And when you do, do you go out of to do so or only reveal the skills you take Pride in when they are needed and keep them hidden otherwise?

"I...the latter, I guess." I answered hesitantly.

Sona heaved a big sigh, her head drooping "I figured as much." Her eyes rose up to spear me a with a disapproving look. "Shirou, you do know why we Devils dedicate ourselves to a Sin right?"

Sona waited for me to nod. "Then I'm sure I don't need to explain to you what it means when a Devil fails to indulge in his Sin like you have."

"Wait." I said, my eyes widening as it began to dawn on me what she was implying. "You don't mean..."

"Yes." Sona answered and she glanced away. She raised a hand up to adjust her glasses, a sign of how worried she was. "It tends to happen with newly Reincarnated Devils. Ordinary humans have trouble comprehending why it is so important for Devils to commit themselves to a Sin, and consequently they end up taking our warnings only half-heartedly. In those cases it usually takes only a couple of months for them to end up manifesting a Sin naturally and learn their lesson."

Sona turned to face me again. "It needs time to form, and though I admit it was an unnaturally long wait with you but it looks like your finally starting to naturally manifest a Sin. And if the temper that you seem to have developed over night hasn't clued you in yet, it's almost certainly Wrath."

"Shirou," She locked her eyes on mine, trying to convey the seriousness of her words. "Naturally developed Sins are not like chosen ones, you can't control them. And you possibly developed the worst of the seven. Any insult or slight, real or imagined could set off a Devil with Wrath. Something as tiny as bumping into them on the street could cause them to go on a killing spree where they'll murder the man who bumped into them, before hunting down and murdering the man's wife, children, friends, neighbours and every last living relative. And I don't need to explain why that's a bad thing to develop in a Devil as strong as you."

"To counter that," The Sitri Heir carried on, ignoring the look of growing horror that was no doubt dawning on my face as I realized the amount of damage I could end up doing if I lost control, "We choose our own Sin and indulge in it as much as we can. While it might not be a perfect solution or even a good one as a chosen Sin will have a powerful influence on our personalities, but at least it's better than the alternative of simply going mad."

At her words my mind drifted back to the Devils I knew of and what I had seen them do when possessed by their Sin. I remembered how Sona, the always impeccably dressed without a thing out of place Sona, dirtied and muddied from our workouts would still drag herself to join us to train every morning anyway, clearly hating every second of it but forcing herself through it till the end without ever missing a single day, her Pride accepting nothing less from her. Yet despite all the suffering she put herself through she refused to allow her Peerage to witness even a second of it, refused to even contemplate allowing them to know, all for that very same Pride.

I thought of Gremory, who loved her Peerage so much that I honestly believed that she would happily destroy her very soul for their sake, yet the very Greed that fuelled that mad love drove her to kill one of her Peerage just to make him hers. And yet, it was as she if could not seem to see anything wrong with what she did.

Then there was Riser, with his Lust so strong that he yelled out his love for women to the highest ranking members of Devil society without hesitation or a hint of shame, as if it never even once occurred to him why such a thing would be inappropriate.

"But-" Despite the seriousness of the situation I realized something was off about what she said. "But you don't brag."

Sona was a Devil of Pride and like me she had barely done anything to indulge in her Sin or at least no more than I had. True she took Pride in her work and Peerage but that was hardly any different than how I took pride in my swords and cooking. As far as I could tell she didn't brag or ever go out of her way to show off her skills but she was somehow able to manage just fine.

A tiny smirk grew on Sona's face and she pushed her frames up her nose again before speaking.

"In the primary building of Kuoh Academy there is a corridor. This corridor is situated right next to the entrance so that every student has to pass through it at least twice during the school day, once in the morning to enter the school and once in the evening to leave. At the heart of this corridor is a large bulletining board, placed right in front of the entrance so that it is the very first thing the students see every morning when they set foot in school.

"In the middle of the bulletin board is a large sheet of paper, a poster really, and it is by far the biggest thing on the entire board. It's the School's Academic rankings, and printed on it are the average results of every exam taken over the course of the year along with overall ranking of all the students. And do you know who stands at the very top of that ranking? Of all the rankings?"

The tiny smirk on her face grew just a tad larger and Sona's violet eyes seemed to gleam as she leaned closer and whispered "_Me_." before leaning back again. "I have achieved a perfect score in every exam since entering the Academy, and that board proves beyond any doubt that I am ranked first academics in the entire school."

"And every day I make sure everyone knows it.

"Then there is my position as Student Council President." She inclined her head a little to the side, her bangs shifted slightly so they ended up covering her left eye. "I actually earned that you know? Fair and square, I participated in ever election since my freshman year and won each one with neither magic nor trickery. And of course there is the fact that my family, along with Rias's, owns the school. And while that knowledge is kept secret from the students, the teachers are very much aware of it. On my very first day at school I made sure that every teacher in school understood that I held their careers in my hands, and that if I ever catch them performing below acceptable levels of work, I can and will fire them."

That explains so much about why all the teachers are so terrified of her.

"You see Shirou, during the night when the school stand empty and no one is there to care Rias may rule the school. But in the day, under the light of the sun when a thousand and more people tread on its ground, _I_ rule. Kuoh Academy is _mine _to do with as I please, and I make sure _everyone_ knows it.

"And that Shirou," Sona gave me a very self-satisfied nod, "is how I brag."

"...I see." And I really think I did. To me, test scores and ruling over a school were meaningless. But to Sona, who valued academics over anything and dreamed of founding a school of her own, it must have gratifying to gain control and successfully run a prestigious school. To stand as the number one student and have more control over the staff than even the Principle did.

...wait, did Kuoh Academy even have a Principle?

"But that's not important right now." Dropping her smile as the solemn expression reappeared, Sona returned to the issue at hand. "Your temper problem may have calmed down for a time but it's not gone. It'll keep flaring up for the rest of the day at least, and even now when your calm it should still be effecting your thoughts, even if you don't notice it. It's still reversible but it's only a matter of time before it becomes permanent. You need to get rid of it Shirou and fast."

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" Repressing a shudder at the idea of the rage returning even stronger than before. I had barely been able to restrain myself as I was, I didn't even want to imagine what I'd do if it got any worse.

"Exercise your Pride." Sona answered. "Your Wrath only manifested because you failed to commit yourself to your Sin but as it's still in it's early stages reversing it should still be a relatively easy process. My recommendation is to use your swords. Since you appear to hold so much Pride in them then all you need to do is show them off. And you literally have the perfect opportunity on your hands to do so."

Sona pointed to the screen were another examination was taking place, and I understood what she was getting at.

"The Young Devil's Gathering." Funny how everything keeps coming back to that. "You're suggesting that I beat everyone here with my swords?"

"Not just beat them." Sona corrected. "I'm suggesting that you fulfill the prediction you gave and crush them. To get rid of your Wrath you must exercise your Pride, and you can only do that if you show off. And there is no better opportunity for that than right now. The Young Devil's Gathering is broadcasted to millions. Over half the Underworld will be watching while the rest will hear about what transpires here within the day."

"Stop holding back, Shirou," She commanded, "and prove to them your superiority. Don't hide your powers, don't play it smart, instead flaunt your abilities and crush everyone here. Don't finish your opponents with a single strike but prolong the fight until they understand how hopelessly outmatched they are and what kind of monster they ended up facing and _only_ then should you end it. Just winning your fights isn't going to cut it here. Winning isn't your goal, proving your superiority is, and to do that you need to show-off. And since you hold so much Pride in your swords then it is their power you need to demonstrate.

"Teach them the might of your steel, let them learn the bite of their edge as they fall from the sky like the rain. Break their pride with their strength and prove to them, all of them, that your swords are second to none, that even the 72 Powers that we Devils so covet would be found wanting when compared to their splendour."

For a brief moment I was taken aback by her words, not just by what she said but the intensity with which she spoke them; it was something that I never would have expected to hear from the usually calm and analytical Sona but before I could call her out on it our conversation was interrupted.

"_Kaichou!"_ A panicked voice hissed out. "_Don't tell him that. A__re you trying to get us killed?_"

Turning away from Sona I discovered that her entire Peerage was nearby and listening in. They were standing off near the edge of the circle of space surrounding me so I hadn't noticed them earlier.

An anxious looking Ruruko, the Pawn and the source of the hissing, eeped when she realized I was watching and jumped to hide behind the tall form of Sona's Queen, Tsubaki.

"Kaichou," Tsubaki stated coolly, "I'm afraid I must agree with Ruruko in this matter. Need I remind you that we too are participating in the gathering and thus are one of the very opponents you are advising Emiya to crush?"

Though Tsubaki did not yelp or show any overt reactions like Ruruko had she did stiffen slightly under my gaze. In fact, the rest of the Peerage were looking kind of panicked as they all kept sending Sona looks as if she had gone mad.

Well, all but Saji. For once the usually over-reactive Pawn was playing the role of the level headed one of the group and he looked rather calm. When he noticed my eyes focused on him, Saji just returned it calmly and nodded in acknowledgement. He then opened his mouth and spoke in a voice of one who knew with absolute certainty that what he was about to say was the truth.

"We're gonna die."

"Actually," Sona spoke up, an amused look on her face. "I already decided, should we ever end up facing each other in the Gathering to simply resign without fighting."

"We're gonna live~!"

"Are you sure?" I asked Sona, ignoring Saji's spirited cheer. "I thought that the Gathering was important to you."

"Better to resign and let everyone think I'm terrified of fighting you than to fight and prove to them right." Sona snorted and adjusted her glasses. "I'm not stupid Shirou. Let's face facts, even if you decided to go easy on us, which is unlikely considering your current condition, you'd still end up wiping the floor with us. No," she shook her head, "I think I'd much prefer resigning than the alternative of you taking my entire Peerage apart piece by piece in public.

"And do not forget Shirou, I never entered the Gathering with the intention of winning in the first place." Sona pointed out, "not with Sairaorg and Riser entering, you participating just cemented my decision not to aim for victory. Instead I'll continue with my original goal and concentrate on giving a showing. Fighting you will not help me there. Besides, if you, a newly Reincarnated Devil, perform overwhelmingly well in this gathering with so many Pure-bloods participating then that would only give credence to my dream of starting a school for Reincarnated Devils. So in a way you winning will benefit me just as much as it does you."

"All right." I accepted, not even bothering to hide my relief. Though I would have still gone through with it, the idea of fighting Sona and the others seriously was unappealing to say the least, so I was glad that wouldn't end up happening. Still, I was a little surprised that Sona was so willing to resign. She didn't even seem conflicted by her decision.

You'd think after having her dreams of a school laughed at and being called a child she would have been eager to prove everyone wrong. Instead she was willing to step back and encouraged me to go all out in my fights-

-something in my head seemed to click and I finally began to piece the puzzle together.

"...you just want me to get back at the Elders for laughing at you, don't you?" I asked, a sly tone slipping into my voice as I finally understood why Sona had been so insistent that I not hold back.

Sona flushed, but stubbornly refused to let anything else slip past the stoic mask she wore slip. "Of course not." She pushed up her glasses, her cheeks reddening. "I have simply advised you to the best of my abilities, nothing more."

"However." She continued, a tiny almost mischievous smile appearing on her lips, "If said advice just happens to make you, a Reincarnated Devil, utterly demolish every Pure-blood in this tournament and make a certain group of Elders eat their words about my school well," And I swear the grin she was sporting as she shrugged could only be described as Serafall-ish, "so be it."

I shook my head ruefully at that even as I kept wearing an amused smile. I swear, these sisters.

"Speaking of the Elders," Sona dropped her grin before giving me a concerned look, "did my sister tell you anything about what Bael is planing?"

I scowled at the reminder and looked away. "No, before I even got a chance to talk to her we were interrupted by Sir-" I froze in mid-speech as another flash of insight hit me and I couldn't help but let out a groan before dropping my face into my hands. "Dammit it. That explains it."

"Explains what?" Sona asked, sounding a little bemused.

"Sirzechs." I answered, as I thought back to my last encounter with the man.

_The opening ceremony of the Young Devil's Gathering had just ended, and we __had__ barely stepped out of the hall and away from the public eye before Sirzechs cut off my path, standing between me and the others, and before I could __even get a word in he spoke._

_ "__Emiya Shirou, here are your orders." H__e__ sounded so unusually serious that I __was taken aback __even through the rage that was starting to mount__. I looked up to find him watching me with __hard __blue eyes, __none of his normally easygoing attitude to be found anywhere__. "__In the upcoming fights you are forbidden f__rom__ holding back. Don't bother with concealing the true nature of your abilities; instead just focus on fighting to the best __of __you__r__ abilities and win. Overwhelm every opponent, showcase both your physical and mental combat abilities. __This is a direct command from __one of the __four__ Satans, win and hold nothing back."_

_Sirzechs then turned to Serafall, "Are my orders acceptable __to__ you?"_

_ For a moment Serafall looked like she had something to say, but __after pausing to__ giv__e__ Sirzechs a piercing look __she stayed quiet__. An instant later she smiled and nodded. "Sure, it's fine." She answered chirpily. "Internal matters are your business anyway. Besides, I wanted to see Shi-chan kick ass anyway."_

Then before I had the chance to gather my thoughts together, one of the Arena staff appeared to drag me away. The next thing I knew I had been brought here along with a dozen of other contestants and told to wait my turn.

Did Sirzechs too realize what was happening to me like Sona had done, and was that the reason for his orders, or did he have another plan that I wasn't seeing, something moving in the background? Plus there was also his sister. Why would he give me those orders when he knew I might end up fighting her?

I had no idea, there were simply too many unknowns, too many things that I wasn't seeing to piece things together. Still, there was one thing I knew for certain, and that's when I'm done with this little exam here I'm going to be demanding some answers from Sirzechs and one way or another I will get them.

"My Lord Emiya." I glanced up to find a Devil I did not recognize standing a short distance before me. He was a tall dark haired man dressed up in the same uniform I had seen all the members of the Arena staff wear.

Before I could ask what he wanted the man gave me a deep respectful bow before speaking, "My apologies for the interruption but all the preparations are complete and your exam is set to start in fifteen minutes. Your examiner will be Lord Rylan Phenex. Please gather your Peerage and wait in the designated room before the appointed time so that we may begin."

The Devil then bowed once again but just as he straightened up he, to my complete astonishment, flashed me a quick smile and whispered a quiet 'Good luck' before turning and walking away.

I spent the next few seconds staring after the departing Devil in bewilderment. Ok, what the hell was that about? But after a moment I just shook my head and decided to ignore the Devil's odd behaviour for now. I had more than enough on my plate to deal with as it was without adding more to it.

"Well, looks like I'm up." I announced to the others as I placed my hands on my knees to push myself up. But I had barely started to stand up before I felt a hand latch onto my wrist, halting my movement. Turning back to see what she wanted, I found Sona staring back at me with an aggravated look on her face.

"Shirou," she began, and something about the way she spoke told me that it wasn't me she was angry at, "there is something wrong here. Don't you realize who your examiner is?"

"No," I replied and I dropped back into my seat. I still had a few minutes to spare, and if Sona thought that whatever she had to say was important enough to stop me then it probably was. "While I recognize his Clan of course, the name Rylan doesn't ring any bells."

"That's not surprising." Sona admitted, still looking upset. "While Rylan is talented in his own right he is often overshadowed by the accomplishments of his elder brother, Ruval Phenex."

"Ruval?" My eyebrows shot up at that. Now that's a name I recognized and not because he the Phenex Clan Heir. Not only had Ruval managed to earn the rank of Ultimate-Class Devil on his own merits, but he managed to earn himself a spot as one of the top 10 Rankers in the Rating Game. And if Ruval was Rylan's older brother it meant, "Wait, he's Riser's brother?"

The Sitri Heir nodded. "Yes, he is his elder brother. Had Rylan been a single child he would have been considered a capable addition to the Phenex Clan, but he had the bad luck of being born as not only the brother of one but two geniuses. Both Ruval and Riser Phenex are natural prodigies born with a remarkable amount of mastery over their family's flames while Rylan was only gifted with a moderate amount of talent. Surrounded by people of such overwhelming talent, he had often been overlooked."

"Alright." That would explain why I didn't recognize his name despite him being one of the Clan Head's children. "But what is it about him that has you so worked up?"

"That's because Rylan isn't supposed to be an examiner." Sona snapped, revealing the source of her anger. "I have already researched all the examiners and their fighting styles before hand just in case I ended up fighting them, and I'm certain Rylan wasn't supposed to be one of them. He is simply too powerful to qualify as an examiner."

"But you just said-"

"I said," Sona didn't even wait for me to finish and ploughed right through my retort. "That he's the least gifted among the three brothers, not that he is weak. Rylan has been trying for years to work his way out of his elder brother's shadow, and he has done that by throwing himself into the Rating Games. And while still falling short of Ruval's success he managed to prove himself to be rather capable in his own right. Knowing he'd never be able to compete against his brother head on he decided to specialize instead. Ignoring all of his Clan's offensive magic capabilities he instead decided to focus on his regeneration trait. And to compensate for his lack of offensive capabilities he has gathered several powerful Peerage members. It took him decades and cost a small fortune but he had managed to bring together a Peerage made up entirely of powerful Sacred Gear users; the weakest among them has the power of a mid-ranked Devil.

"And even if you disregard his Peerage, he's still trouble. Unlike Riser, who's talent but inexperienced, Rylan has been participating in Rating Games for over a century now and those years of combat experience have allowed him to all but master his power of regeneration. It reached the point were he hasn't been hurt in a Rating Game in almost a decade now, not without his opponents spending hours trying to exhaust him first." Sona's anger slowly began to abate, only to be replaced with concern.

"Shirou, I think they must have brought Rylan in just to fight you; Zekram or one of the other Elders I mean. Rylan's regeneration is at a level where nothing short of completely annihilating every atom of his flesh could kill him, and without your Holy Swords I don't think even you can hurt him."

So that's what Sona was getting so worked up about, she was worried that I wouldn't be able to harm Rylan without resorting to my Holy Swords. And since all types of Holy weapons or attacks were banned from Rating Games, it was an understandable concern.

Death in Rating Games is a pretty rare occurrence. Since all Rating Games take place in a special Bounded Field that, in the event a fighter receives a mortal injury, automatically teleport said fighter out of the match, along with any dismembered limbs or body parts, and into a medical ward where they are immediately forced into suspended animation before they begin receiving treatment. This method is so effective that there have been Devils who survived being beheaded. It is not an exaggeration to say that so long as they can collect all of the wounded Devil's body parts in time, there is not an injury they cannot heal.

Except for the ones caused by Holy attacks.

I cannot begin to stress how weak Devils are to the Holy element. Just by standing in Holy Ground their bodies grow weaker, their magic less potent, and just the sight of a Holy Sword fills even the bravest of Devils with dread. And if a Devil is injured by a Holy Weapon, it is almost always fatal. The claims that Devils can be killed by a single cut from a Holy Sword wasn't much of an exaggeration.

There is a reason why so many human Exorcists can bring down even High-Class Devils and that Devil-kind never once came close to conquering Heaven.

While the Rating Games were supposed to be a simulation for war, they were not meant to be an actual war. Death was not an acceptable outcome, not with the Devil population suffering as it is. And while the risk of deaths cannot be completely avoided during any kind of combat, the Rating Games have successfully reduced that danger enough that it has become a rare event.

If Holy Swords were allowed in Rating Games then no matter what precaution was taken, the death toll would skyrocket.

So Sona's assumption that I would be hampered by my inability to use Holy Swords, one of the only effective weapons against Phenexs, wasn't an unreasonable one. Were Holy Swords the only thing that I had in my arsenal that could harm a Phenex then her concern would have even been justified.

But I had more than just Holy Swords.

A lot more.

So I gave Sona the most comforting smile I could. "Relax will you. You don't really thing I would be taken down that easily? I'll be fine."

A worried Sona searched my face, looking for any sign of false bravado, before she visibly relaxed and managed to give me a rueful smile. "Of course you will. I may really just be an idiot to have bothered worrying about you."

"Nah, you're not an idiot, just a worry wart." Chuckling I reached a hand out to her head before ruffling her hair like a child. "Aren't you _So-tan_."

I didn't have the heart to tell her that the glare she sent me at the use of Serafall's nickname just made her look that much adorable, almost like a chipmunk.

"Drop dead, Emiya." She managed to growl out through clenched teeth, her cheeks reddening as I continued to ruffle her hair.

"Not a chance _Kaichou_." Chucking again at the way Sona somehow managed to turn even redder, I had a flash of insight to as why Serafall loved to mess around with the girl. It was rather fun. Still, I had a match to get to so I removed my hand from her head and quickly rose up from my seat. "But in exchange for the advice you just gave me let me give you a piece of advice in return. Something that will help you in your upcoming fights."

Seeing that I caught her interest, if the way she stopped glaring at me was any indication though her cheeks were still flushed, I carried on. "In a fight, whether it's between two armies or two people, one of the greatest mistakes you can make is to become predictable." I pointed to one of the nearby monitors which showed another fight about to start. "It's a mistake that every Devil I've seen fight so far has made, both examiners and contestants alike.

"It's understandable why," I admitted and dropped my hand. "For all of their differences, the Rating Game do share some similarities to chess, and in this case it's that they both have pre-established opening moves. Like what's happening here."

I nodded towards the same monitor, where the examiner's Peerage was currently scouting the tiny castle that was their designated territory. During a Rating Game match both sides are given their own territory, usually a building of some kind. And every territory in today's exams had been some variety of castle, though the terrain they were located on was different, varying from rich forests to desert plains.

What the examiner was currently doing, sending his Peerage to scout out his castle, was one of the most popular opening moves in the Rating Game, perhaps even the most popular. It allowed the examiner to map out his territory and discover all the possible exit and entry points. The next step would be to block most of the entrances while guarding the others. The reason why he went through so much effort was to prevent enemy Pawns from entering the heart of his territory, a place where they'd be able to use their ability to promote.

"And what's wrong with what he's doing?" Sona questioned, sounding inquisitive more than anything. Good, it meant that she was willing to listen. "Almost all opening moves in the Rating Game consists of some variation of scouting and guarding your territory. It's the most effective way to establish a defensive position and protect yourself from enemy Pawns. It's a highly effective opening move."

"And I'm not saying otherwise," I explained, "The move in itself is not a bad one; if it was, it would never have become as popular as it has. The issue I have with it is how people use it. That's the problem with well-established opening moves, people eventually begin to commit to them at the start of every fight without thinking them through anymore. It becomes a habit to them. And in a fight, a habit is something that can be exploited."

Sona narrowed her eyes as she mulled over my words. "But how?" She finally asked, "There is a good three mile gap between territories. Even if you can predict your opponents opening moves, it means nothing if you're too far away to do anything about it."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong. Everything can be exploited in a fight, you just have to figure out how. And I just happen to know one way." Turning away, I began to make my way towards the exit of the room and towards my match. But as I started walking away I held up a hand over my shoulder, two fingers extended.

"Two minutes," I called out. "I'll end this fight in two minutes. So be sure to watch the fight carefully or else you'll end up missing the whole thing."

The silence that followed my proclamation was broken a few seconds later by the sound of Sona's quiet laughter. "I see you're finally beginning to learn how to brag."

"Just following Kaichou's advice." I quipped before quickening my pace as I began to make my way out of the room. I still had a few minutes before my exam was due to begin, but I wasn't sure what would happen if I arrived late and didn't want to risk it.

Still, a Phenex, huh? Somehow I couldn't find it in myself to feel surprised with this last-minute development. Though, unlike Sona, I wasn't quite convinced that it was Zekram or one if the other councilmen responsible for my choice of examiners. There was one other person who would only be too happy to see me and Rylan duke it out.

I had been wondering when Sirzechs would teach Riser his displeasure, but even I didn't expect him to act this quickly. I couldn't say for certain whether or not he had a hand in this, but I found it rather convenient that I would end up fighting Riser's older brother right after Riser slighted his little sister in public. And unlike Sona, Sirzechs knew precisely what would happen if Rylan and I fought.

"Shirou," Sona call out to me just as I was about to step out of the room. Turning I found her looking about the room in confusion before looking back to me. "Where is your Peerage?

"They're still back in the Manor where I left them." I replied.

"Shirou!" Sona looked like she was trying and failing to fight back a headache. "Your exam is going to start in less than ten minutes. If you don't hurry and summon them here then they won't make it in time for the fight."

"Get here in time?" I repeated. "Sona what makes you think I'm even going to bring them along into this fight? Didn't I already tell you?" I asked her before turning away and exiting the room.

"I'm ending this fight in two minutes. There's no point in dragging them all the way here when they won't even get the chance to fight."

* * *

[Ladies and Gentlemen, the start of the Examination of Emiya Shirou is about to commence. Will both the Contestant and the examiner along with their Peerages, please step onto the Magic Circle.]

Doing as the announcer requested, I took several steps forward until I stood at the heart of the Magical Circle before me.

I stood in a barren room, emptied of all types of of ornaments or furniture. It was just me in here, surrounded by plain concrete walls and the large Magic Circle painted on what would have been an otherwise equally plan floor.

The Circle in question was massive. It was no doubt meant to hold an entire Peerage comfortably, and since a Peerage could be made up of up to sixteen different individuals, I felt a little dwarfed standing in the heart of the giant thing.

The speakers hidden somewhere around the room cackled to life, delivering the announcer's words clearly as if she was in the room with me.

[Now that both parties are ready I will briefly recap the rules. Both parties will be transported to one of several predesignated locations at which point the battle will begin immediately upon arrival. The battle will last until either side's King has been defeated, at which point the exam will be over. Both parties will be provided a castle to act as their territory; please be aware that both castles have been reinforced with magic and are far sturdier than their mundane counterparts. Both the terrain and the castle are randomized and neither party has been informed of their layout; both will be going in blind. Pawns will be able to promote once they have managed to penetrate at least fifteen meters past the outer walls of their opponent's castle. That is all.]

The announcer paused to give us time to absorb her words.

[Are there any questions?]

I said nothing and stayed quiet. After a good ten second wait the announcer spoke up again.

[As neither party has a question, I will continue. Please stand by for teleportation. The Examination will commence in three...two...one-]

The Magic Circle came to life, the lines that made it up burning like liquid fire. Shutting my eyes I waited patiently for the light to die down. A couple of seconds later it did and, when I opened my eyes I found myself in a completely different room.

In a quick glance I took in my surroundings. I was in what appeared to be the castle's war room. There was a long wooden table in the middle of the room with what appeared to be a pair of maps and several ear-piece communication devices on its surface. Three of the walls were lined with banners of a design I did not recognize while the last wall had a large open window that gave a clear view a green vista.

I was already moving before I had chance to take it all in. Ignoring the maps on the table, I instead ran towards the window. Out of my back I felt something shift before two bat-like wings erupted from my back at my command, appearing just as I set my foot down on the ledge of the window sill and, without hesitating, leapt straight out.

Flying was hard. My transformation into a Devil may have given me wings but it didn't give me the ingrained flying instincts that only those born with wings seemed to possess. So even after nearly a year of having my wings I was still a horrible flyer; I had trouble doing anything more than fly in a straight line and would be less than worthless in any kind of aerial battle. Fortunately the room I leapt from was located on the highest floor of the castle, so I didn't need to do my more than flap my wings a few times and turn to land on the roof.

As soon as my foot hit the relatively flat roof of the castle, I opened my hand and Projected a bow into it. It was long, longer than almost any other bow I had seen before, longer than I was tall. From top to bottom it was crafted from a black metal, one still unknown to modern man, and 'til I had Projected it this world had never once seen the like of it.

_Archer's bow._

Quickly, for the first time since I had arrived, I began to examine the land that I had been deposited in and where I was expected to fight. The castle I was standing on was situated atop a very tall hill, surrounded by a thick green forest. And across it, a little more than three miles away in an almost mirror image, was another hill with an identical castle sitting on its peak. Between the two hills was a deep forested valley, so thick with vegetation that it was impossible to see the ground hidden beneath the trees, blocking the sight of anyone approaching.

But it didn't matter. This would all be over before anyone had the chance to sneak under the cover of the trees.

Once I saw the other castle, my target, I raised my empty hand up to my side, palm facing the sky. A crimson orb appeared over my hand before it swiftly expanded upwards, painting a web of line that outlined the shape of a sword with the hilt pointed to my palm and the tip to the sky, before with a flash of crimson light it was replaced with the real thing.

The sword, if it could even be called that anymore, hovered in mid-air above my hand for a brief instant before gravity took effect and it dropped into my grasp. I didn't even need to look at it to know the abnormality of its shape, the unnatural form of its blade that coiled into a spiral instead of straight edge.

_Caladbolg II: The Fake __S__piral __S__word_

Facing my opponent's castle I raised the black bow and set the twisted blade to the string of the bow. Taking a single breath, I pulled the sword back, the bow going taut with the strain. A small part of my mind marvelled at how effortless the action was.

Archer had made using this bow look easy, notching, drawing and firing arrows with deceptive ease. But this was a bow that was designed to fire Noble Phantasms, many of which weigh several kilos, at targets miles away. The amount of force needed to accomplish that was massive, so it was only natural that the strength needed to draw the bow was equally massive. When I was still human it took every ounce of Reinforced strength I had to draw this bow, and even then I couldn't match the range Archer could reach.

But now, now in a Devil's body with its inhuman strength and all the demonic power flowing through its veins, I drew the bow back with ease, not needing to reinforce my limbs. As I did, I Altered the sword even further, modifying it so that it became narrower, longer and more aerodynamic.

Centering my aim at the heart of the other castle, I had a brief flash of doubt attack me. Was this really the right thing to do? According to legend Caladbolg was so powerful that it once blasted the tops off three hills, and that was in its natural state. Broken, it will be far stronger, and now that my Projections are no longer degraded by a full rank its destructive power will become far stronger than even when Archer used it.

Is it all right to use it now? Against opponents who aren't trying to kill me, only trying to beat me in what amounts to little more than a game? Isn't this taking things too far?

_Overwhelm every opponent; showcase both your physical and mental combat abilities. __This is a direct command from __one of the __four__ Satans; win and hold nothing back._

_Stop holding back, Shirou,__ a__nd prove to them your superiority. Don't hide your powers, don't play it smart, instead flaunt your abilities and crush everyone here. Don't finish your opponents with a single strike but prolong the fight until they understand how hopele__ssly__ outmatched they are and what kind of monster they ended up facing and __then, and__ only then, should you end it._

A grin that was almost maniacal graced my lips. Well, since so many people seemed to want me to stop holding back, who was I to say no?

Still, I lowered my aim from the castle to the peak of the hill on which it stood. Even the medical abilities of Devils had their limits and while the Phenex would probably live I wasn't sure about the rest of his Peerage. If they took a direct hit there might not even be enough pieces remaining to put them back together. So instead of the heart of the Castle where I knew my enemy had gathered, I aimed at the ground it stood on.

And I knew that my enemies were in there, all of them.

My parting advice to Sona wasn't an exaggeration. Predictability was something that would get you killed against someone like me. Like Archer, I had rarely ever been stronger or faster than my opponents, and I had been forced to out think them instead. The strength of my entire fighting style was centred on versatility and adaptability, all so that I could attack my enemies at their weak points while defended with my strengths. In order to make this style of fighting work I needed to be observant, to predict how my enemies would react and manipulate them to move in a certain way that would give me the advantage and ultimately lead me to victory. Archer's personal sword style was based on this principle, guiding his opponent's strikes to where he wanted them to go so he could intercept them.

Which was what made fighting opponents in the Rating Game so easy.

In the start of every Rating Game all of my opponents, every single last one of them, would be gathered together in a single spot, all in one tiny room. And there they would remain, long enough for me to take them all down.

Almost every match I had seen today had started off in one of two ways. The first was that the Peerage would gather around the maps to examine them while they collected and passed the communication devices around. The second was that the Peerage would immediately disperse, quickly scouting and securing the castle while setting up their traps.

No one ever left the castle. Not in the first few minutes at least.

And why would they leave? It was an easily defended position, a place where they'd hold the advantage should a fight break out. And most importantly, they needed to secure it to prevent enemy Pawns from sneaking in and promoting. It was perhaps the greatest reason why so many Rating Game veterans were so fanatical about guarding their territory, they knew all too well how much damaged a promoted Pawn could cause.

_"__My core is twisted in madness."_

But there was one problem with that logic.

_"__Caladbolg__."_

_Did it look like __I __ha__d__ any pawns?_

The sword streaked through the air, leaping from my bow like living thing when I released my hold on it, traveling so fast that it appeared to be little more than a blue blur.

In a single second it crossed over half the distance to the target.

Lowering my hands I dismissed my bow, breaking it down to bright particles of light before they too disappeared. I wouldn't need it anymore, the shot I had lined up was perfect and I already knew that it wouldn't miss.

A second later, when the hill disappeared in a sphere of flames, I was proven right.

Caladbolg had struck right at the dead center of the hill's upper half, ripped through its crust and buried itself deep in its heart before it detonated. And when it did, the entire top half of the hill simply vanished, a sea of flames taking its place. The force of the resulting explosion was so powerful that even from where I stood miles away I was buffeted by a wall of air so solid that if forced me back a step. The trees that surrounded the hill at its base were gone, shattered and splintered by the shock waves, while those farther off fared a little better. They were brought down, their roots hanging exposed to the air from when the trees had been ripped from the earth and now lay flat against the ground.

As for the castle that sat atop the hill, that too was gone.

Like a child's discarded Lego pieces, the once mighty stone blocks of the castle, reinforced and hardened by the magic of some of the Underworld's most talented spell weavers, now littered the valley floor, nothing more than ordinary rubble. Those were the most discernible pieces that I could see, though there were also large gray clouds of dust drifting overhead that might have been the rest of the castle.

Once again the announcer voice appeared, originating from somewhere in the sky instead of the hidden speakers. And unlike last time when the announcer spoke with a polite and well-practiced but bored voice, this time she sounded bewildered.

[R-R...Rylan Phenex's Queen, two Bishops, two Knights and all his Pawns have...retired?]

By my count, it had only been around nine seconds or so since the fight started.

That meant I still had a minute and fifty one seconds left to show off before I had to finish this.

* * *

It was only thanks to years of practice in hiding her emotions that Sona kept from gaping. The rest of her Peerage didn't share that particular advantage.

"That's-" Momo's eyes were wide as she stared at the screen, where a certain red haired boy could be seen conjuring a familiar looking sword. "That's the thing he showed us in the student council room."

Sona absently nodded in agreement with her Bishop, also recognizing the spiralling sword. She remembered the power she sensed from the twisted blade, the overwhelming amount of magic, all of it crammed into such a tiny shell of metal that she could hardly believe it. Afterwards, whenever she thought back on that sword she couldn't help but wonder if it really had been that powerful or if she had just imagined it all.

Then she watched as the redhead summon it again and this time the monitors, with their ability to make magic visible to the naked eye, confirmed what she had seen that day.

Light, so much light filled the screen that it felt as if he had stolen the sun from the sky and held it in his hand. The monitors appeared to have trouble trying to compensate from the sudden influx of power that appeared out of nowhere because they malfunctioned for a few seconds, flickering off and on, before they had managed to stabilize again.

Again she was reminded of the reason why she had trouble believing that her sister's Queen was capable of crafting such swords. Their power, she had no idea where it came from. While the redhead may have been powerful, with more Mana in his body than even she had, it wasn't anywhere near enough to create a sword of that calibre. The twisted blade alone seemed to hold more Mana than he had in his entire body, yet she had seen the boy create a hundred like it effortlessly.

It shouldn't have been possible to craft weapons more powerful than you were, but it appeared no one had bothered to tell Shirou that.

Then she watched as the boy notched the sword to his bow and draw it back as he prepared to fire it, and again she had to fight to keep her emotions off her face.

How did he expect to hit anyone from there? Even if his claims about the spiralling sword's piercing ability hadn't been exaggerated, and she was beginning to feel they were understated if anything, and it did pierce through all the layers of reinforced stone of the castle that stood between him and the opposing Peerage, there was no way he could see where anyone was.

Then she watched as the boy released the sword, and it ripped through the air, moving so fast that it looked like a blue line was drawn from his bow to the opposing hill.

Then the hill, along with the castle, disappeared.

[R-R...Rylan Phenex's Queen, two Bishops, two Knights and all his Pawns have...retired?]

When her mind finally rebooted from the shock, she found herself gaping at the burning inferno were once stood a formidable fortress alongside her Peerage and the other Devils in the room but she couldn't bring herself to care about the slip.

He only needed a few seconds to summon and fire that sword, and it he didn't even appear to strained. Did that mean that he could fire more than one? How many more of those could fire in a row?

"I'm going to kill him." She said calmly in the deadly silence that had taken over the room, meaning every word. "I'm gonna find that stupid jock and then I'm going to kill him."

"Kaichou!" Tsubaki whipped her head to her king.

"It's a bomb." Sona managed to squeeze through gritted teeth. "The idiot brought a _bomb _with enough power to wipe out an entire town into my school, at a time when it was filled with students and _when he was surrounded by my entire Peerage."_ She whipped a hand to point at the screen which showed the redhead flying swiftly towards the burning hill. "No wonder he gets along so well with my sister, that idiot is just as crazy as she is."

"Kaichou," Sona glanced over to Tsubasa, the blunnete staring at the screen with a remarkable amount of cool, "Do you remember what you told Shirou right before the match?"

Sona furrowed her brows as she tried to figure out what her Pawn was talking about and then she pale, all colour draining from her face as she remembered.

_Oh._

She had encouraged him to stop holding back, pushed him to go all out without caring for the consequences and what happened? The redhead ended up obliterating what amounted to a small mountain in the first ten seconds of his first fight. There was still an entire tournament's worth of opponents left to fight, and he still hadn't finished with the first one.

"Tsubaki." Sona murmured as she turned back to the screen, just in time to see the redhead landed in front for Rylan Phenex. "I think I might have made a horrible mistake."

* * *

The hard earth fractured beneath my feet as they met the ground, sinking. My landing, if you could call me dropping from the sky a landing, was a rough one, but I was relieved to find that I had managed to keep my feet beneath me this time, and not fall flat on my face as I was still prone to do.

I had landed in a field of grass not too far behind the hill where the castle once stood. Unlike the other side of the hill this place was mostly clear of trees, it was just an empty plain with nothing but grass and the occasional shrub growing on it.

Or at least it was empty before giant chunks of a castle dropped into the middle of it.

These were the largest pieces remaining of the castle. They were still nothing but rubble and other than chunks of walls and what might have once been the top of a tower, none of the debris could even be identified as once have been part of a castle.

And there standing in the middle of the rubble was the reason why I landed.

Rylan Phenex was an immaculately dressed man. He wore a black dress shirt under a well tailored maroon suit, while a fur-lined crimson cape draped over his shoulders and he held a black wooden cane topped with a fist-sized diamond in his left hand. And though his shoulder-length, swept-back blond hair and blue eyes were the same shade of colour as his bother's, he looked remarkably different from Riser. The lines of his face were smother, features softer, more delicate and aristocratic that his energetic younger sibling.

He also didn't have a scratch on him.

I had no doubt that he had been in the castle when it blew up, that he suffered through the same destructive force that brought its walls crumbling down, but for all that he had just been through the man looked like he had just gotten dressed after stepping out of the shower. There wasn't so much as a speck of dust on him. Hell his clothing wasn't even ruffled and it still managed to look freshly pressed while his hair was still straight and neatly combed.

"Magnificent." Rylan had been examining the ruins that surrounded him with a look of admiration but turned around to face me when he heard my approach.

"Truly magnificent." He repeated and this time he actually began to applaud, not in mockery but in genuine admiration. "I must commend you, Emiya. I have seen High-Class Devils rain attack after attack for hours on reinforced walls like this one but still fail to penetrate it, yet you managed to bring down an entire castle with but a single strike." He glanced around himself again, a little wonder on his face before he shook his head. "It seems that your ascension to Ultimate-Class was no fluke. Lady Leviathan has chosen her Queen well."

I nodded my head in acknowledgement but said nothing even as I steadily closed the distance between us. Even though I kept my guard raised, hands by my side, open and ready to grip anything I projected into them, I felt that I was missing something, that there was something off with the entire situation.

The man was acting too calmly, too relaxed for a person who had just lost almost his entire Peerage in one fell swoop. He didn't even seem to care that I just blew him up; rather he seemed almost delighted that I had.

A trap? Maybe, but it didn't explain why everything about the guy felt so off.

"I would have dearly loved to see you face off against my elder brother." His voice took on a longing tone as he gave one last appreciative glance around him. "What a fight that would have been. But, alas, it seems you have to content yourself with me. Though, it is truly a shame; had it been anyone one else this would have resulted in your victory. But, as it is, I fear the best outcome you can hope for from this match is a draw."

He almost seemed apologetic as he finished speaking, giving me a sympathetic smile, and with a flash of insight I understood why he felt so off.

He didn't think I could hurt him. No, he was certain of it. That explained his complete lack of fear; it was because he really wasn't afraid of me. Why should he be? He had taken a broken A ranked Noble Phantasm almost head-on and there wasn't even a scratch on him to show for it. Sona did say that Rylan hadn't been injured in a Rating Game for over a decade, and by the looks of things it seemed that he believed that trend would continue.

"You honestly don't believe you're in any danger, do you?" I asked the blonde as I reached the edge of the pile of ruined stones and continued to draw closer to him, my guard still up just in case I misread the situation but something told me I hadn't.

Even earlier, when he examined the destruction I had brought to his castle, he hadn't been studying the ruins of his former territory like a strategist trying to figure out the secret behind my attack, but rather he was looking at it with the admiration of someone gazing upon a well made painting, of a patron admiring the work of a master craftsman.

Rylan, he wasn't treating me as a threat – no that wasn't quite it either. It wasn't that he was looking down on me, but instead, it felt like he was detached from the situation, an outsider to this fight rather than a participant, as if the upcoming engagement had nothing to do with him. If I had to guess, I'd say he saw himself as a member of the audience watching the battle instead of one of the fighters down in the arena.

This guy, he didn't even see himself as a combatant did he?

Again I remembered Sona's words. Rylan had abandoned all of his offensive capabilities in exchange for his regenerative ones. That probably meant that he lacked any attacks with the power to break through my Queen-enhanced defence.

In other words, this was a stalemate for him. He didn't think he could harm me and was absolutely certain I had no chance of harming him. So instead of agonizing over this stalemate he found himself in, he would just sit back and enjoy his view of the upcoming fight from his front row seat as I battled it out with the rest of his Peerage, and no matter the outcome the worst that could happen to him was a draw.

I had to bite back the urge to chuckle.

Now I understood Sirzechs gripe with the new generation of Devils and their attitude towards the Rating Games; they really did treat it like a game. Even after seeing my attack and knowing what I am capable of, the Devil before me refused to even consider the possibility that he might die.

Well, I guess I should rectify that mistake.

"You have never faced a Phenex in battle before, have you?" Rylan gave me a sympathetic look before shaking his head almost mournfully. "I'm afraid it is always like this with newcomers. They never seem to heed the warnings of the Phenex Clan's immortality; they fail to recognize that is no empty boast, but a reality, until they face it themselves. And I have achieved absolute mastery of my Clan's regenerative ability; only Ruval can boast to have a skill equal to mine in that respect." He held his arms open. "And here in the ground of the Rating Game, where all Holy Weapons are banned, I am immortal."

"Immortal?" I asked in disbelief before I felt the edge of my lips quirk up. "You think you're an immortal?"

Opening my right hand I began to project a weapon into it. Golden steel came to existence at my command, its sudden weight felt reassuring in my hand and I tightened my grip on the haft of the fairy-blessed weapon. Though the ends of the spear stretched out before and behind me, for a weapon of its kinds it was on the short end of the spectrum, not even reaching my shoulder when set on the ground.

Rylan's eyes widened with wonder as he caught sight of the weapon, "They told me that you could conjure swords, but I see that your skills are not so limited. It is beautiful." He breathed, never taking his eyes away from the spear. "May you tell me it's name?"

"It's called Gae Buidhe, the Golden Rose of Mortality." I answered as I cocked the arm holding the spear back.

Had this been a normal fight I would have never done what I just had. Information was one of the greatest tools you could hold in fight, as valuable as any Noble Phantasm in determining victory. By controlling the flow of information, you ruled the battlefield. And in a world where Noble phantasms did not exist, it meant that no one knew what any of my blades could do until I used them.

For me to willingly give away the name of my weapon, well it went against every fighting instinct I had. But that was the thing, this wasn't a battle any longer.

It was a show.

My objective was not victory, but to crush my opponent. To overwhelm him and teach him the might of my blades. To demonstrate to him and all watching how much higher I stood above them all. To do that I had to restrain my urges to finish Rylan off, to just cut him down where he stood and end this. I needed to drag this out; until my Pride was satisfied, I could not allow this fight to end.

So when I lobbed the spear at the Phenex, instead of aiming for something vital, I targeted the right side of his torso, right at the very edge and away from any vital organs.

Rylan didn't try to avoid the golden spear as it came streaking towards him. Instead he calmly waited for the weapon to reach him, his face an expression of patient boredom even as the spearhead dug into his side, ripping through cloth and flesh alike before tearing through him entirely and burying itself in the ground not far off.

Flames burst out from the open wound, orange and red tongues of fire that licked his side before they condensed, gathering over the gash on his side, hiding it from sight before they faded away, dieing out so thoroughly that not even a flicker of ember remained.

And where once there had been wounded flesh peeking through the tear in his clothing, now only the undamaged cloth of his suit remained, its maroon colour unmarked by the heat of his flames or the bite of my blade.

Rylan Phenex raised a single brow, "Was that supposed to do anything?".

In place of an answer I just pointed to his side where Gae Buidhe had cut him.

His other brow rose up to meet the other before he sighed out, though he obediently placed his hand on the point I indicated, to humor me more than anything. "Emiya, I understand why this may be hard to accept but you must understand by now that you can't...hurt...me?"

Rylan words had started out strong but he began to trail off towards the end, his brows furrowing in confusion. Slowly he lifted his hand away from his side and brought it up to his face, the crimson that stained it standing out on the pale skin of his hand.

At first he seemed bemused by the sight, as if he couldn't quite understand what he was seeing, the sight so outside the realm of what he believed to be possible that his brain needed a few seconds to comprehend it. Then his eyes steadily began to widen as it finally began to dawn on him that, yes, that was blood that covered his hand. I wonder when the last time was that he had seen his own blood?

"Answer me this my Lord Phenex." I looked away from where blood seeped through his clothes, dyeing them red as the wound beneath continued to spill out his life's blood. "Can an immortal bleed?"

"I-I..." His blue eyes wide with shock, still overwhelmed, he could do nothing but watch as I continued to close the gap that separated us.

It was then that the Rooks attacked.

I did not know if they had dug themselves under the heap of rubble or if they were simply buried there when the castle was brought down and just decided to wait for their opportunity to pounce, but when I was a little more than a stone's throw away from their bloodied King they struck

They emerged in a shower of stone and debris as they erupted for the ground, a dozen or so yards away, a little bit ahead and to either side of me. Then they charged, moving at speeds that matched that of Knights and belied their true role as Rooks.

The one that came from my left was a giant of a man, dwarfing even my height. Brown dreadlocks fell down to his shoulders, eyes hidden behind the cracked lenses of his shades. He wore an open vest that exposed a tanned muscular chest to the world and denim jeans covered his trunk-sized legs and nothing else. Already painful bruises were beginning to form on his exposed chest and arms, splashes of red, blue and purple dotting his brown skin.

Yet, for all their number, his injuries didn't seem to slow him as came at me with all the force of a semi. He was actually grinning, his white teeth contrasting sharply with his dark skin, as he clenched his right hand into a fist in preparation to bring it down on my head.

It was what surrounded that very fist that captured most of my attention.

Crimson scales surrounding a human hand, forming a very familiar metallic gauntlet that left the fingers exposed to the open air.

_Twice Critical _

For the briefest fraction of a second I felt myself overcome with awe. To survive the destructive power of Caladbolg and walk way with nothing more than bruises using nothing more than Twice Critical was so remarkable that it broke through my battle haze. Direct strike or not, it was a broken Noble Phantasm, his defended must have been phenomenal to have achieved that. What kind of training must he have put his body through to become that tough?

But almost immediately my amazement faded, buried away as my mind returned to the battle at hand and I switched my attention to the second Rook coming at me from my right.

It took me a moment to realize it was even human, and another to realize she was female.

She looked like an ogre. Pale gray skin covered a body that seemed to be made form bulging muscles and nothing else. Ugly red welts, burn marks I realized, dotted her skin, the only break in the monotony of gray. Her shoulders were set unnaturally far apart, making her wider than she was tall and her arms were so long that her knuckled dragged on the ground. A long brown mane tumbled down her back, sharp shark-like teeth filled her mouth that was set in a snarl while her hazel eyes, the sole human-looking thing about her, glared at me with loathing.

Like the other Rook she was sparsely dressed, wearing a stained wife-beater and ruined sweatpants. She lumbered towards me, using her hands just as much as her feet to propel herself forward almost like an ape. And it was only thanks to the pink diamond-shaped gem embedded in the center of her forehead that I recognized as a Sacred Gear that I realized she was human.

_Deus Bestia – God of the Beast, _was a highly-sought after Sacred Gear for it made its wielder all but invulnerable to physical attacks. It negated all kinetic damage and so long as it was active no blow should ever bruise its wielders flesh nor will shall any edge pierce their skin. The only way to damage them was through non-kinetic based attacks, such as elemental magic, or by somehow bypassing the skin completely and targeting their internal organs.

But what truly made this Sacred Gear so valued was it's ability to absorb all the kinetic energy and use it to empower its wielder, enhancing their body. In theory there is no limit to this ability and the wielder can potentially match anyone in physical strength should they absorb enough energy.

Though it also had the side effect of transforming their physical body, which explained the Rook's current appearance.

But the most frighting thing of all is its last ability. Should the Wielder choose to sacrifice self-enhancement for pure destructive might, they can fire all the absorbed energy in a massive attack back at the enemy.

Which meant that if she were to land a single solid punch with those ape-like hands of hers, then all the damage she should have received from Caladbolg would be transferred to me instead.

Still, even though they were my enemies, these two were really amazing.

For them to have survived Caladbolg's attack meant that they either must have sensed the attack coming and responded by immediately summoning their Sacred Gears or they already had them out at the start of the fight. And I could not even begin to imagine the amount of composure they had to have to coordinate an ambush so well after all the chaos and confusion they must have suffered through when the castle blew up beneath their feet.

It seemed that Sona's assessment of Rylan's Peerage skill level was correct: they really were excellent pieces.

It was a shame that it wouldn't make any difference in the end. No matter how skilled they were, they had already lost the moment they set foot on the opposing side of the battlefield from me.

So after a single quick glance, I ignored them and continued my trek towards their King, not even slowing down my sedated pace. I deliberately made sure not to even bother looking their way again as I summoned a pair of crimson spears into my hands and lobbed both weapons at them as they closed in on me.

It was a fairly weak toss, with barely enough strength in it to bury the spear heads into the hard earth, and nowhere near enough to penetrate through the guard of ordinary Rooks. Which was exactly why neither Rook reacted as the spears soared towards their chests. No matter how sharp their tips were or how enchanted their steel, there simply wasn't enough power behind the blow to break through their defence.

So instead of bothering with battering the spears aside, an action that might have slowed down their charge, however slightly, and risk giving me more time to project another weapon, they put their faith in the Rook enhanced defence to get them through, the very same defence that allowed them to survive the attack that brought down the rest of their Peerage, and committed themselves fully to their offence.

They died.

Both Rooks slowed their charge, they pace dropping before they stumbled to a complete halt only a scant three strides from reaching me. The ogre like female was looking at me in confusions and tried to speak, but when she opened her mouth no words came, only blood. It spilled past her lips and dripped down her chin, staining her gray skin red.

Her knees gave out and she fell, dropping to the floor, hazel eyes still filled with confusion.

The dark-skinned man took one look down at his chest, where a crimson spear protruded from it, before looking back up at me and smirking, revealing crimson teeth stained with his blood, as all the while his shoulders shook, rising and falling in silent laughter.

Then he too followed his comrade and fell.

They had both dropped to their knees, in a mockery of respect, as I walked towards then past them, not sparing them any attention even as they fell face first onto the ground, prostrating themselves before they faded, their bodies taken back to the medical facility were they'd be resuscitated and healed. I barely noticed any of it, my full attention reserved only for their bleeding King.

[...Rylan Phenex's final two Rooks have retired.]

Rylan legs folded beneath him, sending him sprawling to the ground as they were no longer able to support his weight, his injury finally beginning to take its toll on him compounded by the shocks he had suffered through. He was staring at the spot where the final members of his Peerage had fallen.

"Gae Dearg," His eyes shifted to me as I continued my sedated pace towards him, answering the unasked question. "The Crimson Rose of Exorcism."

With no more hidden cards to play now that he'd lost the last of his Peerage, I no longer needed to maintain my guard. It was over. As it was I could now cross the distance between us in a single dash without fear of an ambush and cut him down.

But instead I continued my lazy pace towards the fallen Devil.

Everything I had done so far was for a single goal; to achieve a victory so overwhelming that no one would doubt my abilities ever again. Fighting alone, bring down the entire castle and even sparing the final two Rooks nothing more than a glance as if they were not worth my time, all of it was aimed to give one impression to all watching; that I didn't even need to try to win.

And this was the end to the show, the finale, and my last chance to give a lasting impression.

I had better make it a good one.

This pretender before me had called himself an immortal, and I did promise myself that I would rectify that mistake.

"Once, Immortals were real." Holding out my hand before me, I start to project another Noble Phantasm in it. "They roamed this earth as real as you and me, and could be found in every land. Gods who existed since the dawn of time and would be here at it's end. Supreme beings that would never die, Primordial entities who knew neither pain nor suffering, omnipotent demons who could not bleed, They were plentiful, those immortals, who never needed to fear the touch of death or comprehend the meaning of an end.

"Then one day, they simply stopped existing."

It slowly began to take shape in my hand. Red cloth wrapped a portion of its pitch black frame, allowing me to grip its long and far too narrow shaft.

"Nineteen years ago, every immortal, every undying being lost their immortality. Those gods of old could no longer escape death's embrace, and have learned the meaning of an end."

Twisted metal, divine steel made crooked tipped the dark shaft. It was no spear, not this twisted thing. No straight and elegant point adorned its end. Not with its inwardly-curved blade and blunted outer edge.

A scythe.

"Something happened, an event occurred which made the immortals no longer untouchable, stripping them of their invulnerability, making it a lie."

This was not a weapon meant for war, not a tool forged for battle where steel clashed against steel. This was an edge meant for the flesh, an instrument for killing and nothing more.

"And that event nineteen years ago was a birth."

An executioner's weapon.

"_My birth_."

And there existed no better at its job.

"I was born,"

This was the _Harpe,_

"And on that day, immortality became no more."

And it was on its edge that immortals came to die.

* * *

It was _death_ trapped in steel, the _end_ worked into metal and given form. And even from there he could sense how magic _died _as it met its edge, a void trailing behind the air as the scythe cut it.

The boy was holding death in his hands and he was coming for him.

And the Phenex could do nothing but watch.

"_Immortality became but a myth, nothing but a fairytale."_

Then came more,

"_And so long I live and breath__e__ it will continue to be so_."

First was that golden spear, a twin to the one spilled his blood and it came to be in the air, held up by invisible hands, and though he knew he should fear it, the sight of it still managed to take his breath away such was the weapons beauty.

And more followed still.

"_Because in this world, there is nothing,_"

In ones and twos, then by dozens, weapons of highest calibre, until finally a hundred and more filled the air over his shoulders. Majestic weapons, all radiating overwhelming power, of the like he had never seen before this day. They came in all shapes and forms, swords and spears, daggers and axes, the conventional and the exotic, all were there.

"_**Nothing**__,"_

And still more came, each different from the last. Yet for all of their differences they all held one thing in common.

Each was an immortal killer, every last one of them.

And all were pointed at him.

"_**That I can**__**no**__**t kill**_**."**

To immortals, to those arrogant few that believed they could live for ever, there was nothing they feared more than death, true death.

And as the immortal Phenex watched as death came for him, he learned to fear.

He felt the kiss of twisted steel on his skin as the boy softly hooked the scythe around his throat. He managed tear his gaze away from the weapon and looked up to the one who held it.

And found himself staring into eyes that danced with madness.

Was it Pride or Wrath that twisted the soul of one that once shone brightly?

It did not matter, for now the Phenex knew, knew that what stood before him was no man.

But a Devil.

One every bit as dangerous as those who sat on their thrones high above and ruled them all.

The Devil that was his death gazed down at him patiently.

"Would you like to see how an immortal dies Lord Phenex?" Death asked him.

Then Death smiled.

And it was a beautiful thing, free of malice, a promise of salvation.

"Or would you rather take this opportunity to resign?"

* * *

[Match over. Total time: 00:01:56. Winner by resignation, Emiya Shirou]

* * *

***Chapter End***

**Author's Notes:**

**And there we have it, the first fight and I hope you all enjoyed it. This chapter was supposed to include the Sairaorg's fight as well but that would probably take me another couple of weeks to finish and I figured you all rather I split it in two and post this now than wait. So next chapter looked forward to seeing Sairaorg and his Peerage fight.**

**Oh, and to give credit where it's due Artful Lounger had been giving me a lot of idea of original Sacred Gears and Underworld Politics in addition to DxD facts. So if you see any new Sacred Gears he probably helped me make them. Plus I want to thank the guys in 'Fandom Flux Podcast' (for those of you who don't know it's a podcast by Fan-fiction writers that talk about fanfiction and give writing advice among other things) I listened to one of their discussions about this story it helped to inspire the first part of Shirou's Wrath.**

**And to Nasu-fans, I researched the **_Harpe _**and while it was established that it was a Divine Weapon it did not make it clear if it's holy. But since in this story holy and divine swords are two different things I decided to establish it as just a Divine sword.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the fight scene because there will be a lot of them in this Arc. So please tell me how you thought it turned out.**

**Well, that's it for now.** **Again, Thanks for reading.**


	19. Chapter 19: The Power of a Fist

**Authors note:-**

**a quick warning, this chapter is self-edited so there may be a few more mistakes than usual. The Beta'd version is a bit delayed and should be up in a few days, but I have kept you all waiting for long enough so I spent the entire day going over everything to fix any mistakes so I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

***Chapter Start***

**Chapter 19:**

**The Power of a Fist**

* * *

Though it held over a hundred souls within it's walls**,** the waiting room was silent. Not a word was spoken as every Devil in the room stared speechlessly at the now blank monitor, which earlier had been broadcasting the examination of their fellow participant, Emiya Shirou. And although it had been a good two minutes since his examination had ended and the screen turned blank, not one a single one of them had been able to look away.

…

…

Another silent minute had passed before someone decided to speak up. It was a young man, a Knight of someone's Peerage.

"Did..." his voice broke, and he needed to pause to swallow before carrying on. "Did that really just happen?"

"...Yup." Saji confirmed when it appeared no one else would answer, his eyes never leaving the screen.

"Oh." The knight mouthed, before drifting off and silence returned to the room.

...

...

"That was..." another Devil started to speak up, a brunette Bishop, but almost immediately she trialled off, unable to think of the words to properly describe what she had seen. But she didn't need to finish, they all understood what she meant.

"Yeah." A Devil next to her agreed, nodding his head dumbly.

Silence once again filled the room.

…

...

Finally someone snapped.

"Why the hell is something like that even here?" A blond haired King threw his hands up in exasperation and asked the question they were all thinking. He pointed towards the blank screen. "Wasn't the Gathering supposed to be for beginners? Then why the hell are going to have to fight a monster like that?"

"...Elders." Another solemn faced Devil answered.

"Ah," The King nodded slowly in understanding and crossed his arms over his chest. Then the young King spoke up, once again voicing what everyone was thinking, "Fucking Elders."

This time every head in the room nodded, speaking as one. "Fucking Elders."

* * *

Technology had evolved at an unbelievable rate over the last several years. There were technological wonders today that had been considered nothing more than science fiction even as little as a decade ago. Doctors could create artificial limbs with nothing more than a printer, magnetic trains that will never know the touch of the ground or a rail, and glasses that can submerse you into a digital world by beaming signals straight to your eyes.

And as technology had evolved, so too had the world evolved alongside it. Humans, like they tended to do, have adopted and adapted to this new technology. Incorporated it into their daily lives so seamlessly it felt as if it had always been there. And just like humans, so too had Devils embraced the wonders of technology.

Nothing could demonstrate this fact better than the common smart phones.

To say I was surprised by what modern phones could do wouldn't be a completely accurate statement. I had always been vaguely aware at some level of how mobile phones advanced over the years, it's just I had trouble understanding why people made such a big deal out of it. So what if you could talk to your friends while standing in line for coffee, why couldn't you just wait until you met them to have a chat? And how could some news be so important that you needed to text it right away, yet wasn't important enough for you to wait until you were face to face so you may have a proper conversation about it.

My mild distaste for modern phones had lasted until Serafall showed me an 'app' that was known as 'Allthecooks'. To think that a community could be formed where chefs all around the world could share their recipes with one another, and entirely for free too.

Phones are truly wonderful things.

"Look Shi-chan! Another thread popped up about you."

It was amazing how my new found love for smart phones quickly soured to utter loathing.

Opening my eyes, I shifted my sights downwards to where Serafall was currently using my lap as a pillow, her hair pooling around my knees. She was lying on her back, legs stretched across the sofa and her feet draped on the armrest while she held a cellphone before her face.

Her violet eyes were sparkling with barely restrained mirth as she read out from the screen, "'_I was born' – possibly the greatest bad-ass boast ever_."

Serafall threw her head back and cackled, "That's great! Hahahaha," She reached up to pat me on the cheek, her fingers felt warm on my skin, while giving me another of her beaming smiles, "it looks like my Shi-chan is finally becoming popular."

It had only been an hour since my fight with Rylan and if the entire population of the Underworld wasn't talking about it then it certainly felt like it was.

Just like the human world, the Underworld too had it's own version of the internet. Serafall was browsing through one of the many forums dedicated to the Rating Games and, to no ones surprise, it was currently ablaze with comments about me. There was literally thousands of threads popping up all over the place and countless of posts. So far the comments had all been overwhelmingly positive, if a little bit more enthusiastic than I was entirely comfortable with.

"Oh! Oh!" Turning my head to the source of the voice, I found myself staring at Sirzechs, who was lounging on a sofa of his own across from mine. Like Serafall he too was resting on his back with both of his legs draped over the edge of the sofa's arm. He held up his phone with one hand while pointing with the other at something on the screen. "I found another one."

He cleared his throat before reading out from the phone. "_That had to be the most epic thing I had ever seen! I am so _Gar_ for Emiya_." The Demon Lord blinked in bewilderment at the phrase before turning to give Serafall a questioning look. "Serafall, what does 'Gar' mean?"

"It's a phrase made up by the fans of the show 'Unlimited Blade Works'," Serafall answered absent-mindedly, her focus mainly on her own phone, "Basically one of the fans misspelled the word 'gay' as 'gar' and instead of saying 'I'm so gay for Archer', it came out as 'I'm so gar for Archer."

My thoughts screeched to a halt as my mind tried and failed to process what I just heard. I then sighed. Alright, it looks like the next time I end up meeting Archer I'm gonna have to let him kill me on sheer principle. We both know I deserve it for doing this to him.

"Needless to say the phrase caught on and fast. After being adopted by the fans it quickly spread until it became a part of mainstream pop-culture. It's mostly used towards male characters or individuals who are so overwhelming manly that your own masculinity is absolutely buried, leaving you nothing but a swooning girl-child before them."

"Ah," Sirzechs nodded his head thoughtfully at Serafall's explanation, "so it basically means to have a man-crush on someone. Gar, I like it. In that case." With that Sirzechs returned back to his phones and began typing. "I...too…am Gar...for...Shirou, enter. There, that should do it." He turned to Serafall. "Did I use the word right?"

It was amazing how easily Sirzechs could make me want to slap him without even trying.

"Perfect!" Serafall chirped before reading from another post. "_I wonder how many of those snot-nosed Pure-bloods have resigned on the spot after watching that __massacre_?" She lowered her phone and seemed to ponder what she had just read. "That's actually a good question. Sirzechs, how many ended up dropping from the Gathering?"

"None, though not from a lack of desire to." The redhead smiled, looking pleased. "Several of the participants have already requested that their fights be postponed until the next Gathering. Needless to say they were denied. And seeing as outright resigning is not an option for them, not without appearing as total cowards, it look like the majority plan to stick with the Gathering and just hope that they won't end up facing Shirou. Though I wouldn't be surprised to find more than a few deciding to turn tail and run if that were to happen."

Right now I was in the Maous's private viewing room and, unlike with the cramp waiting room I had been forced to sit and wait in before my examination, this place was spacious. It almost felt empty really with just Serafall, Sirzechs and me. Ajuka had been here with us earlier but had left at some point when I wasn't looking, taking his Codex with him, while Grayfia had to go off and handle some paper work that Sirzechs had left unfinished.

Glancing around the room I took in the sight of the floor-to-ceiling monitor embedded into one wall, which showed another examination taking place, and the half-dozen sofas lined up in a 'V' shaped formation so that they all faced the monitor.

"Ha-ha! Listen to this." Sirzechs exclaimed, eyes locked on his phone while his lips set in a grin. "_Holy shit, our Maou beat this monster! __H__ow strong is Sirzechs?"_ And I swear Sirzechs was practically preening as he turned to give me a smug look.

Like I said, he doesn't even need to try.

"Oh~~, this is good. Listen." This time it was Serafall who spoke up. "It seemed that there was a lot of Devils out there that were turned on by the fight. Like this person right here. Not only does she want to sleep with Shirou, she also want to have his babies. Isn't that funny- _Wait-WHAT!" _Serafall sat straight up, glaring down at her phone as if she was trying to set it on fire with her eyes. "_Oh_, oh the bitch. Well _lonelyDevil2072,_ we'll just see about that."

Then she began typing furiously on the phone. I deliberately looked away, making sure not to look at the screen and catch a glimpse of what she was writing. I had a feeling that whatever I saw there would end up traumatizing me for a long while.

"_Guess you aren't laughing now, are ya Zekram?_" Sirzechs read out another post. He stared at the screen for a couple of seconds before snorting and putting the cellphone down on the table beside him. Lifting his legs off the armrest, he swung himself upright in one smooth motion before turning to face me. "So Shirou have you figured it out yet?"

"No." I shook my head, "At first I thought that Zekram just wanted to see me fight but the more I think on it the less sense it begins to make."

After my examination was over, I hadn't wasted any time getting here and demanding some answer from Sirzechs on what the hell was going on. And instead of simply telling me, the infuriating redhead just gave me a smug little smile and told me to try and figure it out myself, as if this was some kind of lesson. And with Serafall agreeing with him I was left with no choice but to try.

But it was no use, no matter how hard I tried to put the pieces together nothing seemed to fit. Every theory I could think of had so much holes in it that I didn't even bother to voice them.

The most obvious guess I could think of was that Zekram wanted to see me fight. He knew nothing about my fighting style or how powerful I really was. He knew that I was strong, capable of taking down a twelve-winged Fallen and make even Sirzechs himself bleed, but that was all information he received second hand. He lacked any solid information about me. To him I was an unknown, a Devil that he had virtually no information on, not on my abilities or even my background. From his point of view it must have seemed as if I had appeared out of thin air. It only made sense that he would want to gather as much information as he could on me and by tossing me in the Gathering he'll have plenty of times to see me fight.

But when I stopped to think on it a little, the theory stopped making any sense. If it was just a matter of seeing me fight then there were other ways he could have went about it. Methods that are far simpler and lest costlier than what he did. Like waiting.

I was already planing to participate in a Rating Game after the Gathering was over, I had promised Xenovia that I would, but even if I hadn't been planing to it still was only a matter of time until I did. The Rating Games was such a big part of the Underworld's culture and Devil politics that I would have been roped into it sooner or later. And I was only nineteen, I would have still been eligible for next year's Gathering even if I had missed this one. All Zekram had to do was wait.

And Zekram was very good at waiting.

The man's patience was the stuff of legend, it made no sense at all for him to have gone through all of that trouble just to see me fight when he would have gotten the same results if he had simply sat back and done nothing. Heck, Zekram could have just approached Serafall and offered to arrange a Rating Game between me and a strong opponent. He would have probably gotten away with it if he phrased the request just the right way.

Instead what did he do? He insulted the Sitri Heir, who happened to be a Serafall's little sister, along with Reincarnated Devils and half-breeds in general and me in particular. It didn't make any sense for a political monster like him to do something so foolhardy for something he would have ended up getting anyway.

"The only thing that I am sure of is that he expects me to win." I continued. "Zekram wouldn't have allowed me to fight against Rylan Phenex unless he was sure I was capable of beating him or doing well enough to pass the exam."

This at least I was certain of, there was no way he would have went through all of that trouble of getting me to join the Gathering if he thought I'd just lose in the first fight. Even if he wasn't the one responsible for my match up with Rylan, if he thought I had a chance of losing I'm certain he would have put a stop to it.

"Correct on both counts." Sirzechs nodded at me approvingly, as if I was a student in class that had gotten a difficult question correct. "What else?"

Shutting my eyes, I began to think on it a bit more before speaking, "This is not so much a theory as it is a gut feeling but I think Zekram wants me to join this Gathering in particular."

"And what is so special about this Gathering?" Sirzechs encouraged me.

"What else?" I replied, opening my eyes. "Sairaorg is participating."

It was only a matter of time until I joined a Gathering, so why would he push so hard to make me join this one? It was a big enough mess as it was that adding me to the mix would only cause even more mayhem. The only explanation was that there was something special happening in this year's Gathering that won't occur in the others. And if you ask anyone what was special about this Gathering they'll all give you the same answer.

Sairaorg was participating.

...And well, me too but that only happened afterwards so it wasn't really relevant.

"But that's what I don't get." I continued, "If my guess is correct then Zekram should be doing everything in his power to keep me out of the Gathering, not strong-arm me into it."

That was the part where everything stopped making sense. Zekram should have wanted Sairaorg to win. Badly at that. It was no secret that Sairaorg's position of Heir was that only in name. As someone who did not inherited his Clan's Bloodline he was legally incapable of becoming the Clan Head.

The only reason why Sairaorg was ever able to become the Bael's Heir in the first place was due to the Bael Clan's tradition. It did not matter if you were a child of the Clan Head or one of the branch members, if you had the Bael blood in your veins and were of proper age then you were eligible to become the Heir. All you had to do was beat the current Heir as only the strongest of the Clan's children will have the right to succeed the Head.

That was one of the iron-clad laws that the Bael live by. Only the strongest may rule and the rest must follow. Thus by beating all of his siblings and cousins Sairaorg became the Heir under Clan law. Though it seemed that when that particular rule was made no one ever predicted the possibility of a child without the Power of Destruction winning and thus the Bael now have an Heir that can never lead it.

Which was what I couldn't understand what Zekram was doing. He should have wanted Sairaorg to win. Sairaorg had already stated his intentions of becoming a Satan, and if he succeeded then Sairaorg would be forced to abdicated his position as Clan Heir leaving it empty for one of the other children with the Power of Destruction to inherit the Clan. If that were to happen it would become a win-win situation for Zekram. He would get a Bael to become one of the four Satans and get a proper successor that carried his Bloodline.

So why the hell was he trying to muck things up by throwing me into the mix? Even if Zekram believed that Sairaorg could beat me why risk it? It would only end up stacking the odds against Sairaorg with nothing to gain for it.

"And what else?" Sirzechs prompted after giving me a moment to think.

I shook my head negative, "Nothing, that is all I was able to figure out." Which if I was being honest to myself was no surprise. Human politics had always seemed like a bunch of nonsense to me, there was no way I could ever hope to understand _inhuman_ politics.

Sirzechs crossed his arms and leaned back into his seat, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few seconds of holding that pose he nodded. Leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees he spoke, "Shirou, to understand what Zekram wants you need to comprehend one important fact about him." He held up a single finger. "And that is Zekram is completely satisfied with the current state of the Underworld."

I couldn't help but frown at that, "What do you mean?"

"What I meant," Sirzechs explained, "is that if politics was a game then as far as Zekram is concerned, he has already won. Think about it, the Bael are currently the most powerful Clan in the Underworld, by far. They control almost twice the amount of land and resource than the second largest Clan, and it has been that way for over two and a half centuries. The Power of Destruction, the Bloodline that he himself had created, is recognized as the most powerful of the 72. He sits at the head of the Elder Council and has the ear of all four of of the Satans. In additional Sairaorg, one of his many descendent, is considered the strongest Devil of the newest generation and then there is me, his other descendent, who is considered the Strongest Devil in history."

"That's right." I mused out loud, "I almost forgot but you're actually Zekram's grandson aren't you?"

"Great-grandson actually." Sirzechs corrected, "My mother is his granddaughter. Zekram maybe old but that doesn't mean he stopped having children."

"Isn't old Zeky's latest wife pregnant with another child?" Serafall added in, showing that she had been paying attention despite still furiously typing on the phone. I made the mistake of glancing at the screen before looking away. There was an entire wall of texts that she was posting, I did even want to think what the contents of the post was. "I think that will be his twenty-second kid now?"

"Twenty-third actually." Sirzechs corrected. "Though only a small handful of his children are still alive."

"Now that your bring up, there is something I never could understand about how the whole inheritance thing worked. Only those with the power of their Clan can become the Head of said Clan, but you and your sister have inherited the Power of Destruction." I pointed out, "So why were you ever even allowed to become the Gremory Heir when you have the Baal's Bloodline instead of the Gremory's? I would have thought that the Baels would kicked up more of a fuss if another Clan had gotten access to their Bloodline."

It might have been just my imagination, but Sirzechs looked pained for a second before it was replaced with his usual genial smile. "That's not quite accurate. Both Rias and I _did_ inherit our Clan's Bloodline, though it is weak in both of us. It happens from time to time that a bloodline weakens for a couple of generation before re-emerging stronger than ever, so no one was too worried so long as we held some Gremory traits."

Sirzechs tugged on a strand of his Gremory red hair as if to illustrate the point, "The problem was that by law, the child's predominate Bloodline will determine which of the parents Clans will have the biggest claim on them. Had it been normal circumstances it would have been well within the Bael's rights to declared us as Bael instead of Gremory. It was only because my father predicted something like would happen and insisted that he had first claim to all of his children when he was negotiating the marriage contract. If it wasn't for that we would have never been allowed to become Gremory. We were lucky in that sense."

Serafall snorted, still typing on her phone. "Lucky my cute magical behind. It cost your old man an arm and a leg to convince old Zeky to add that clause in."

"True," Sirzechs grimaced through a smile, "but in the end it was worth it. Thanks to that clause Rias and I were able to become Gremory in full."

"But that's not how old Zeky sees it does he?" Serafall pointed out. At some point she had dropped back down into the sofa though this time she had choose to lay on her stomach, legs kicking idly in the air.

"Correct, and that's exactly why old Zeky – I mean Zekram," Sirzechs shook his head at the slip, "believes he won. While Rias and I may carry the Gremory name, as far as Zekram is concerned we are Bael. So not only has a Bael usurped Lucifer's throne but one of his descendants is in line to rule another of the 72 Pillars. And now another Bael has emerged who is recognized as the most powerful Devil born in two centuries." Sirzechs held his hands open. "Like I said, if this was all a game than Zekram has already won it."

"So that's why you trust Zekram." It was like a picture coming into focus in my mind. "He had every reason to want you to prosper."

"Exactly." Sirzechs nodded, "Why would Zekram ever want to betray us when he already has everything he wants. What can the Old Satan Faction offer that he doesn't already have? Zekram has does not want to rule from the throne, he would much rather become the power behind it. He has accumulated more influence and political power than any single Devil since the Original Satans had ever possessed. The Underworld is as much Zekram's kingdom as it is ours, which is why we know that while he play his games he will never do anything to harm it, for what King will be foolish enough to harm his own nation? No, Zekram is content and he has no desire to rock to boat so to speak."

"Then why did he?" I questioned, "If Zekram is happy with how things are then why did he rock the boat?"

"It's because he knows that the times are changing Shirou." Sirzechs answered. "And as much as he would like things to stay the same, Zekram is wise enough to understand that change will happen irrespective of his desires. He knows only to well the fate of those foolish enough to resist the tides of time, he had witnessed with his own eyes as two generations of Satans refused to accept that the world had changed around them. He watched how they fought against it only to crumbled and fell for their error. Zekram had learned from their folly and will never allow himself to make those same mistakes.

"And _that_ is precisely what makes Zekram truly frighting, his almost human-like ability to adapt. To you Shirou such a skill may be nothing out of the ordinary, but for my kind who are slow to accept the need for change even in the best of times and are even slower to actually change, such behaviour is all but unheard of. I do not believe Devil-kind had ever seen any Devil like Zekram and perhaps that is precisely why he lived when all others have died. And once again Zekram recognized that time for change is fast approaching and is already beginning preparations for it's arrival."

"Change." I parroted. "Your talking about the Reincarnated Devils aren't you?"

"I am." Sirzechs confirmed, "How the Underworld will adapt to the arrival of this new kind of Devil will become the most defining issue of this era. Currently Reincarnated Devils are treated as second-class citizens at best but that cannot last. The population of Reincarnated Devils is ballooning, with every passing decade more of them come flooding into the Underworld and it is only a matter of time until they, along with the other half-breeds, eventually outnumber the Pure-Bloods. And when that happens the Underworld will be faced with a choice. Either accept this new breed of Devils as their equals and usher on a new age of peace, or deny them that right and watch as their hate build, their resentment festers until it sparks another civil war."

"Then can't you do something about it?" I asked. "You're the Maou, the Satan in charge of Internal Affairs. If it's just a matter of legal rights then you should have more than enough authority to create laws to protect the Reincarnated Devils."

"That I can." Sirzechs nodded in agreement. "But the laws are the only things I could change, public opinion is a completely different matter and something well beyond even my considerable reach. Hate cannot be erased by laws. I can create a thousands and one new laws on how Reincarnated Devils should be treated as equal but in the end it won't make one lick of difference if the every Pure-Blood Devil still looks down on them as lesser beings. And with the amount of money, territory and power the Pure-Bloods have under their control they can easily make the lives of Reincarnated Devil miserable if they wished so."

"So no," The redhead shook his head, "the solution is not to change the laws but to change public perception. Right now half-breeds are considered an inferior race and that stigma must be removed. Not many know this but there was a time that Devils breeding with humans was considered a good thing."

The scepticism must have been obvious on my face because Sirzechs gave me a wry smile. "And no I'm not lying. It was thousands of years ago to be sure, and that belief only existed for a scant few years but back then having human blood mixed with a Devil's was believed to help create superior breed of Devils. This was at the time when Devils had first breached the human realm and discovered your original race. And to say that the Devils were fascinated with them would be putting it lightly.

"In that era the Devil race was a stagnating society, with hardly any change in technology or culture even after a millennium of time passing. So to find a race that could change so fast, filled with so much creativity that they almost appeared to make or discovered something new every day, it mesmerized them. And then there was the speed they multiplied. Devils always suffered from a population problem, even back then, so to find a race capable of breeding more than a hundred-fold faster than any Devil had them even more spellbound. So when the idea of cross-breeding with humans was first proposed by one of the Original Satans it was greeted with enthusiasm. To the Devils back then they believed they would strength their children by mixing their blood with humans. Alas that was proven false when Devils found out that only Pure-Blooded Devils could inherit the power of their Bloodline that the stigma against half-breeds were born. And soon after that the purge occurred."

"Purge?" I frowned, not liking the way that sounded.

"They were slaughtered." The distaste clear in Sirzechs's voice. "To the last, every half-breed born during that time period were killed by their own families. If the records weren't exaggerated then the majority of the Clan Heads had ordered that their own parents do the deed and the parents were only too happy to comply, ashamed of what they had spawned. Many of the children ended up being strangled by their own mothers."

"...They committed Genocide." I breathed, not even trying to keep the shock off my voice.

"Devils had always coveted strength above anything else, almost obsessively so. It has been a part of Devil culture long before we had even began calling ourselves Devils. Power is everything and the strong must rule over the weak, this is the instinctive nature of our race." Though he tried to keep it off his face Sirzechs's disgust was obvious. "To find out that they had 'corrupted' their bloodline with weakness, well it must have been unacceptable to them. So they chose to cull the herd before that weakness could spread to others. Though thankfully such barbaric behaviour is no longer practised any more. Instead half-breeds are only treated as dirt and often exiled from their own families." Sirzechs gave me an obviously fake smile. "Isn't progress wonderful?"

There was a long minute where no one talked as I tried to digest what I had learned, the only sound filling the room was Serafall's furious typing.

"But," Sirzechs finally picking up the conversation again, "it is that very catastrophe that gives us a ray of hope now. The origin of the modern Devil's distaste of half-breeds, Reincarnated or otherwise, does not stem from the mixing of blood or even blood-purity. Rather it comes from weakness that a mix heritage would generate. If that is the case then the solution is a simple one. All we must do is prove that even half-breed Devils can become as strong as their Pure-Blooded counterpart. That even without the power of a Bloodline or a Sacred Gear a Devil can still be strong.

"Zekram should know this better than anyone. He was there there when Devils had first began cross-breeding with humans and seen how the stigma against half-breeds had came about. He understands that if nothing is done to remove that stigma then another civil war is only a matter of time. And the Underworld is not ready for a second civil war Shirou, not so soon after the first one. It will break us. Which is why Zekram's trying everything in his might to stop it from happening."

"How, by insulting every Reincarnated Devil in public television?" I snorted. "How is that supposed to stop a civil war from brewing. If anything Zekram just added fuel to the fire by pissing off every half-breed out there."

"That he did, but at the same time he had also given them a way to vent their anger, a method to prove him wrong." Sirzechs countered. "You said it yourself, he insulted not just _you_ but _every_ Reincarnated and half-breed Devil in the Underworld. On live television. Now this fight is no longer just about you or about proving your strength. This had become about the entire half-breed race and whether or not they could really stand up to the strength of the Pure-Bloods. And he set the whole thing up so you, the only Reincarnate Devil with the power to bring down a Satan, ended up as representative of the whole Reincarnated Race."

"Already it is happening." Sirzechs picked up his phone and waved it in front of him, "On every site, they gather. The half-breeds, Reincarnated, all of them want their voices to be heard so they gather together and yell out their desires as one: C_rush them! __Teach them of our might, __let them taste our power__. Prove that they are not beyond our reach, that our __fist can reach them, ou__r__ blades can cut them, that our__ strength shall not be eclipsed by theirs. Let them learn,__the__ Demons and Devils alike, let all of them learn that we __too__ are strong."_

_ "_And you will become the instrument of their will." Sirzechs dropped the phone back onto the sofa and rose up from his seat, making his way to the large floor to ceiling monitor, "You who are the strongest among the Reincarnated Devils and yet have attained that power through your own effort. A human born with neither a Sacred Gear nor the blood of a famous Clan, you are the perfect representative to others who are also without. This is the Young Devil's Gathering, a place where the strongest of the Pure-Blooded children have gathered together to fight for supremacy. And it will be here that the entire Underworld shall witness as those very youths are brought down by the power of a single Devil, a Reincarnated one every bit as young as them, thus proving the might of his race."

"Is that why it's so important for me to join this Gathering?" I asked, "Because so many Pure-Bloods are joining it?"

"In part." He admitted, stopping only a few paces before the giant monitor. The monitor was currently displaying an empty room, completely barren except for the large Magical Circle engraved on the middle of the floor. It was the same room I was taken to before my match. "It is true that this Gathering will become the most fierce in history and winning will leave a bigger impact compared to other ones, but that is not the true reason." On the screen the door to the room had open and in stepped a dark haired Devil that I recognized instantly, his Peerage trailing shortly behind him. "He is."

"Sairaorg Bael," I spoke up, "So I was right, he is involved in this."

"Of course he is." Sirzechs turned to face me with a smile, his frame was back-dropped by the screen so even when I was looking at him I could still keep my eye on Sairaorg and his Peerage. "There are more than just Reincarnated Devils who are dissatisfied with how the Underworld is run and they too will need a voice to speak out for them. That will be Sairaorg's role. Where you will represent the Reincarnated Devils, he will represent the other minorities of Devil-kind. The natural half-breeds, the children of Devils and humans, and all the other Devils that are scorned and looked down upon, he will stand up for them all."

"But Sairaorg is a Pure-Blood." Pointing out the obvious hole in his logic. "So how is he supposed to represent them?"

"He may be a Pure-Blood but he is also a cripple, one that was had been discarded by his own Clan. The only true difference between a Pure-Blood and half-breed is their ability to use a Bloodline, something that Sairaorg lacks. He did not inherit the Power of Destruction and even the bloodline of his mother's Clan, the Vapula, is so weak in him that it's hardly even there. And then there is his Peerage." Sirzechs pointed at the screen behind him. "Tell me Shirou, do you know what kind of Devils make up Sairaorg's Peerage?"

I took a moment to search through my memories before I found the answer. "Extra Demons."

"Correct. With the exception of his Pawn, every member of his Peerage is an Extra Demon. His Knight Liban Crocell," Sirzechs pointed to a blond haired man with a sword wrapped up in a white cloth in his hand, "and his Bishop Misteeta Sabnock," A bespectacled man with braided brown hair falling to his waist, "are both natural half-breeds, born from a union of man and Devil. While his other Bishop Coriana Andrealphus," a women dressed up in a business suit with wavy blonde hair, "is someone like Sairaorg, a Devil born without her Clan's Bloodline and had become an outcast because of it. And finally there is his Queen Kuisha Abaddon, his other Knight Beruka Furcas, and both of his Rooks Gandoma Balam and Ladora Bune, all four of them are members of the Discarded Pillars."

"Discarded Pillars?" I looked at the four with renewed interest. "I'd never thought I'd see a member of those Clans ever set foot in the Underworld by their own free will, let alone become a part of a Peerage."

There were three ways for a Clan to be removed from the 72 Pillars. The first was for all of the Clan's members to perish and these were known as the extinct Pillars. The second was for the Clan to lose it's Bloodline. It was rare but there have been times when an entire generation or more failed to develop the power of their Bloodline. That was not a problem if there was even a single living member that can use the power but if they had all perished and the only remaining members were incapable of using their Clan's power then the Clan's status as a Pillar would be suspended until their Bloodline re-emerged in later generations. Fortunately it was not uncommon for lost Bloodlines to re-emerge late on down the line even after not appearing for several generations.

The final and most extreme method was for an entire Clan to have their status as a Pillar stripped from them. This had only ever happened once and that was during the aftermath of the Civil War. It happened to four Clans and it was them that earned the title of Discarded Pillars.

Even after the Civil War had finally ended and the New Satan Faction emerged victorious it did not mean that everyone was willing to accept their authority. The Abaddon, Furcas, Balam and Bune, Clans that had fought on the side of the Old Satan Faction until the final days of the war and only surrendered when their leaders along with the majority of their Clan had been killed. Still even after surrendering they refused to acknowledge Sirzechs and the other new Satan's authority, disregarding any commands from them.

Unwilling to execute them and lose their Bloodline forever but neither were they willing to allow such behaviour go unpunished, the four new Satans and the newly established Elder Council were left with no choice but to strip those Clans of their status as Pillars, taking away the majority of their lands and privileges. In retaliation ever member of the four Clans left, secluding themselves from the rest of Devil society and living in self-exile alongside the other Extra Demons.

"Though I tried, I could not convince even a single one of their members to stay. If one, only one had remained and accepted my authority then I would have made them the Head of their Clan and allowed them to remain as a member of the 72 Pillars. But even with such a prize dangled before them they all refused, to the last not a single one of them willing to stay or acknowledge me as their leader." Sirzechs voice turned forlorn as he spoke but as soon he threw his head back and laughed. "But now look at them."

He pointed to where the four along with the rest of Sairaorg's Peerage had gathered in the Magic Circle, looking as happy as I had ever seen him. "Not just one but all four had gathered together, one from every Clan, all united under the banner of a single Devil." The redhead gave the dark haired youth a fond smile. "Truly you are impressive little cousin, to have succeeded where even I had failed."

On the screen the Magic Circle began to glow as it was activated and a second later there was a flash of light and Sairaorg along with his Peerage disappeared. The screen switched, this time showing an overview of where Sairaorg's examination will commence.

"Random my ass," I said as I looked over the battlefield. "There is no way this was selected by chance. This place is the worst possible match up for Sairaorg."

"Hmm," Sirzechs hummed, though I couldn't tell if it was in agreement or not. Like me his eyes were scanning the field, expression thoughtful, "Not that it will make much of difference in the end though. Sairaorg will pass."

"You sound confident." Though despite my words I too agreed with his opinion.

"Of course I am. Sairaorg's strength is the real deal, if something like this was enough to stop him he wouldn't have made it this far."

Like every exam so far the territories of both sides were castles, the difference this time is where it the castles were located. They were both built right in the middle of a canyon.

The terrain for this exam was a desert, an empty one where nothing grew or lived with only rocks dotting it's landscape. The only defining feature about the terrain was the gigantic canyon, splitting the desert in two. Even with a single glance it was easy to tell that the canyon was artificially made. It's sides was too straight, running perfectly parallel to one another as they stretched to the horizon to have been formed naturally. It was as if the ground had been cleaved in two by a giant's blade.

It was deep too, a good five miles to the bottom with walls so steep it was almost a straight drop down and at least three miles wide. The bottom of the canyon was flat, free of obstruction or cover, giving a clear view to anyone watching. And it was there, built directly into the canyon's walls, that castle was located.

They were on different sides so that both castle sat directly opposite the other in a perfect symmetry. They were set at the mid point of the walls, over two miles above the canyon floor and the same distance beneath it's peak. As for the castle themselves, there were ever bit as unusual as the location they were built in.

Half of their structure was embedded into the canyon wall, so that you could only see the half that was jutting out. That half sat on a tiny ledge that was barely large enough to hold it. Hundreds of windows dotted the castle's surface. They were narrow, barely wide enough for a person to fire an arrow through or cast a spell but far too small for even the thinnest of Devils to fit through. It meant that there was only one entrance to the castle, and that was through the main gate.

The gate itself was huge, over two dozen feet tall and made from thick wood. And if the runes that were branded into it's surface was any indication, the gate was enchanted and was probably harder to break down than the walls themselves. Jutting out directly beneath the gate was what appeared to be a large balcony. It had no railing, probably meant to be nothing more than a platform for Devils to land on or take off from. It was large enough to hold an entire Peerage easy, with room to spare.

"That isn't a castle, it's a fortress." I eyed the unusually thick walls of the structure. Even looking at it from the outside it was clear that they were far thicker than any of the other castle walls used in the exam so far. And consequently they will be much harder to break through. "This really is the worst match up for Sairaorg."

"Why do you say that?" Sirzechs asked, though I was sure he had seen the same thing I had.

"Because there is no place for him to attack from." I scanned the battlefield once more as I gave my explanation. "Every report I've ever read on Sairaorg all agree that he is an extreme close range fighter, using nothing but his own two fists to fight with. He refuses to use any kind of weapons or even spells, fighting only with his own body. But this is not a battlefield where you can get up close and personal to an enemy."

I nodded to the wide chasm of space separating the castles. "This entire battlefield is designed to be one large aerial battle. There is no way to approach the other castle by land. Even if you managed to climb the canyon walls, you'd be bombarded by enemy spells. There is no cover to hide under so anyway you try to approach will leave you open to long range attacks. That leaves flying as the only method of travel but even that won't be enough to get you in. There are windows overlooking the platform in front of the main gate, the moment you set foot on it you would be overwhelmed by the spells of the defenders manning the gate. Trying to break through their would be suicidal, you'd be under enemy fire every second you stand there. Both castles are practically implementable unless one side is will to suffer heavy losses trying to break through. This means that the only place the battle can occur will be outside of the castle. If that's the case then unless the examiner is a complete idiot then he can completely avoid close quarter combat."

It was illegal for a side to do nothing but defend in a Rating Game, so unless the examiner was willing to risk disqualification he'd have to leave the castle. But the entire field was designed to be an aerial battle, it meant that he could completely avoid fighting Sairaorg in this match.

Aerial combat was a completely different breed of fighting compared to land based combat. In the air it was almost impossible to get in close to an enemy unless they wanted you to or if you were overwhelmingly faster than them. There was simply too many direction in the air that you can take to avoid an enemy. Which is why most aerial battles end up as a series of hit and run fights.

You can't hit a flying enemy from far away, they can easily see an attack coming and dodge. Which is why you had get in close before firing a spell, but by getting close you are putting yourself in the range of your enemy's attack in turn. So what often happens is that aerial fights turn into a kind of dance as both sides tries to sneak in close, fire a spell off before darting away only to repeat the entire process again. When done right it was almost beautiful to watch.

While it was possible to fight a flying enemy from the ground you needed cover to do that. Devils are naturally faster in the air than on ground and they had more room to manoeuvre with there so without anything to hide behind a flying enemy can bombard you with spells while easily avoiding return fire. And this battlefield is completely empty of anything that resembled cover, natural or otherwise.

"This entire terrain is a long range specialist's wet dream and a close range fighter's nightmare. While his Peerage might be able to pick up the slack Sairaorg himself will be almost worthless in this type of fight." I finished. "And why do I have the strangest feeling that whoever the examiner is, he has a Peerage that is filled with long range spell casters and fast fliers."

"It doesn't matter." Sirzechs turned away from the screen while he waved a hand before him as if he was pushing everything away. He began returning to his seat, "I have absolute confidence that my cousin will overcome thi-"

[Sairaorg's Queen has retired.]

"Wha-" Stumbling mid-step, Sirzechs eyes widened in surprised and he whirled back around to look at the screen.

[Sairaorg's two Bishops have retired.]

Even I was caught completely off guard by the announcement. I rose up from my seat and walked towards the monitor, trying to get a better glimpse of what was happening.

[Sairaorg's two Knights have retired.]

My eyes quickly scanned the battlefield, attempting to take everything in at once. But no matter how hard I looked I couldn't spot anything. The field was empty and neither side have left their castle. There was no way an attack was happening, and yet-

[Sairaorg's two Rooks and his final Pawn have all retired]

Yet Sairaorg's peerage kept falling.

And now he stood all alone.

"What the hell is going on?" I wondered out loud.

"I..." Sirzechs looked as bewildered as I had ever seen him. "...I don't know."

Then as if to answer our question, the gates to Sairaorg's castle began to swing open.

* * *

The gates creaked and groaned as the ancient wooden doors were forced open, granting passage for the one inside.

The groans faded away once the doors had slowed to a halt, only to be replaced by thudding of black boots on the stone floor. He walked on unhurried feet as he strolled out of the castle, lifting his gloved hands off the gate as he did so.

The breeze buffeted his frame once he stepped out in the open air of the platform, sending his dark hair dancing and tugging on the thick and fur lined green cloak that rested on his powerful shoulders. The youth continued forward, his steps light despite the muscular bulk they carried, stopping only once he reached the heart of the platform.

Placing both his hands on his hips the youth raised his head upward, his lavender eyes searching the skies, jumping from cloud to cloud. A moment later he took a deep breath before releasing it in a long exhale, his lips curving in satisfaction.

"It is a find day," Sairaorg hair was ruffled by the breeze as he looked around himself, calmly taking in the view of scenery, before returning his sights towards his enemy's territory, "And an even finer castle." He nodded thoughtfully to himself, "Yes, a fine place indeed."

The lavender's eyes moved away from the castle, returning once again to the skies above. "So, it finally begins." He contemplated out loud, eyes losing their focus as he remembered that day that set him down this path. "It's been fifteen years, hasn't it father?"

_"__Wait." A raven-haired child desperately yelled out to the __back of __the__ departing __figure__, "Please father, wait!"_

_And to the young child's surprise, his father did indeed stop. Though he did __not __turn around Lord Vaal Bael __halted__ his steps, "What?" __N__ot bothering to glance back __as he spoke__._

_ To the young Sairaorg his father's back __appeared__ so distan__t __back __then. Though __it was __only a dozen feet it felt as if a gulf of space separated the two. __This was something that have never existed between them, never had his father appeared as far away from him as he did then._

_ But that day had changed things. __For not a minute earlier his father had informed him that he was removed as his Heir. __T__hat he, along with his ailing mother, were to be sent away._

_ "What..." The child started only to pause once he heard the weakness in his own voice. Even back then he knew that weakness was never tolerated, not by his father or anyone in his Clan. So sucking a breath he tried again, this time in as clear a voice he could managed, even if he could do nothing about the tears that filled his eyes or how his face scrunched up in fear. "What am I supposed to do?"_

_ Till this day Sairaorg could never understand why his father chose to do what he did. Was it meant to be as a warning, a way to dissuade his abandoned child from hoping for something more, something he can never have. Or perhaps it was nothing more than an uncharacteristic moment of pity that possessed Vaal as he heard the anguished words of the crippled child that had once been his son. _

_ He did not know, __and Sairaorg suspected that he never would.__ But nevertheless, what__ever__ the Lord Bael__'s reasons, what he __would__ sa__y__ next changed__ the __life of the__ young child._

_The Devil glanced over his shoulder, his hard lavender eyes observing the frightened crippled child. Turning, __eyes never leaving the boy's,__ he __slowly approached __the child__ before lowering himself down to a single knee. _

_ "Hold out your hand." He commanded._

_ "__Huh?" The young Bael squeaked out, startled by the request._

_"__I told you to hold out your hand." __The Lord Bael repeated gruffly, "Do not make me repeat myself for a third time __boy__."_

_ Obediently, Sairaorg held out his hand before him, too afraid to do anything else._

_ Taking the child's tiny hand into his own Vaal Bael began to curl the boy's fingers one by one into his palm, his actions oddly gentle._

_ "__You have no power," __Vaal began as he went about his task, "the gift of both your Clans' Bloodline could not be found in you, and __you were __abandoned __by magic itself.__With reserves as __small as yours, __any great acts of magic will be well beyond you__.__N__or do you posses an__y__ unusual talent with the blade. For you, all you have is a healthy body and this."_

_ Vaal had finally finished curling the final finger and taking hold of the boy's thump, he folded it over his curled fingers. His task completed, Vaal released his hold on the boy's hand and allowed him to see the shape he had guided it into._

_ A fist._

_"__This is the only thing you can use." __He__ told the __child__. "It is a power obtainable by anyone, even you. The only option that remaining for one that has been abandoned by both blood and magic is this one, the power that can be found in a fist."_

_ "...a fist." __Sairaorg repeated, his __eye__s riveted onto__ his __own__ hand._

_ "__Listen Sairaorg." The Lord Bael released his the hand and rose to his feet. "I do not hate you, but this wor__l__d it is a harsh one, __equally __cruel __as it is__ unforgiving. It is not a place that the weak can survive __in__, __this is a place made for the strong alone__. And you can never be strong."_

_ Vaal Bael looked down at the child that had once been his son one final time before turning away, abandoning him. "__So runaway from here," __He told him as he walked away,__ "__run __and stay far away. __Go some place kinder than __here__ and live. Live an ordinary life, __accomplish ordinary goals and__ attain an ordinary happiness. For the this place is not __meant __for the like__s__ of you, it is only for the strong."_

Sairaorg Bael's eyes regained their focus as returned to the present. Lowering his sights from the sky he turned to look at what stood before him. The canyon wall, an unending barrier of rock that filled his entire vision, stretching form his left to right without an end in sight. And upon that wall, straight across from him, sat his enemy's castle.

_ "_Father," a hand rose up to the clasp of his cloak, unbuckling it, "You said I only had my fist."

Pulling the it free from his shoulders, Sairaorg held the cloak before him with one hand. It fluttered in the air, pulled to one side by the wind as at tried to rip it from his grasp. Loosening his hold on it, Sairaorg allowed the cloak to slip through his fingers, permitting the wind to claim it. The cloak immediately flew off to one side, disappearing from view in the vastness of the canyon.

And by removing his cloak, Sairaorg finally permitted the watching audience their first proper glimpse of his body.

He wore no armour, no plated steel or hardened leather, carried no weapon by his side. He walked onto the battlefield with hands held empty, nothing but his own body to fight with. And to him, that was enough. He needed nothing else but his own flesh to gain victory.

What use was armour when he had his muscles. Hardened like tempered steel, strengthened by endless hours of training, they wrapped around his frame, covering every inch of him. It was they that would guard his flesh from harm, protect his life from those that wished to take it.

As for weapons, he had his fists.

They were enough.

It was a body crafted with a single purpose and nothing else. To fight. A body forged for battle, an instrument of war. It radiated a strength, one that had nothing to do with magic.

"You were right." Sairaorg admitted, his eyes locked onto the fortress before him. "but father-"

His hand rose up from his side,

"Even if the only thing I can do is punch,"

And like that day long ago, his hand clenched into a fist.

"that does not make me weak."

Power emerged.

**Recommended OST- Play**

**(TYPE-MOON Orchestral/Vocal) WAVE - Aionion Hetairoi**

In the arena, every monitor viewing him began to flicker, trying and failing to compensate for the sudden influx of power. It poured it out of his body like a torrent, only to condense around his form, wrapping around his frame like a second skin. It was an energy that was neither magic nor demonic, and the screens painted it a forest green.

_Touki._ A power attainable by anyone, regardless of race or heritage. It is to clad ones own body with their life-force, armour ones form with their spirit and imbue it with it's very strength. It is something that all that have life can attain, from the smallest of creatures to the mightiest of titans, it is a power within all their grasp. Yet, only few ever attain it.

Through endless training he had obtained it. Through suffering, through hardship, with nothing to guide him but a spirit that would not be broken, a will that refused to be conquered, he had obtained it. And it from that very indomitable spirit that this power was born, thus is has become his greatest weapon.

From the seat of his soul it came, answering his call, gushing from his very being all so that he may don it. It wrapped around his form, cloaking his flesh and armouring his very body with that very indomitable spirit – that is the power that he, who had nothing but his own two fists, had obtained.

Sairaorg pulled his arm back, cocking it, as his determined eyes remained locked onto the fortress.

"_**R**__**AAAAA-**__," _He roared as stepped forward, his foot burying itself deep into the hard stone floor, shattering the surface of the entire platform with it's force, "-_**AAAA**__**GGGGG**__**HHHHH**__!_"

He threw his punch-

And space distorted with it's passing.

The canyon was drowned out with the sound of howling wind as the air before his punch rippled, sending a shock waved of invisible force hurling forward. It leapt through the space that divided them, bridging the gap in an instant to reach the opposing fortress.

Then they clashed.

The sound was deafening as the castle wall met distorted space. Hardened stone, reinforced and strengthened by the strongest magic known to Devil-Kind fought against the might born from a single fist and-

-stone gave way.

Those mighty walls met the force and buckled beneath it's might. The walls seemed to almost bend and strain against it even as the entire castle was pushed deeper into the canyon wall, sinking into it's surface. The canyon wall fractured under the pressure, fissures spreading like a spider's web at an alarming rate and only seemed to grow worse with time. Crevices the size of roads emerged on the canyon's surface, starting from the castle before spread for miles, as if the entire canyon itself was about to shatter.

And through it all the castle fought, straining against against the seemingly unrelenting force, trying to stay whole until the attack ended.

And by some miracle it did.

The force had finally relented, fading away as it was never there and castle had survived standing strong and proud as ever. Though damaged and battered the castle's mighty wall held, managing to withstand the assault that threatened to bring it down-

-but not the canyon.

The once pristine surface now stood like shattered glass. The canyon had splinted, fractured into more pieces than could be counted. And now these fragmented pieces began to come loose, erupting clouds of orange dust as they slide out of their proper place in giant blocks and tumbled down to the valley floor, crumbling to dust upon impact.

It spread for miles, as if the entire surface of the canyon was a curtain that was being dropped, the entire canyon wall came tumbling down-

And with it the castle.

Among the giant blocks of rock it fell, sailing to the distant floor. It's occupants once protected from invaders by its narrow windows were now caged in by it, trapped and imprisoned. For two miles it fell, gaining speed with each passing second so that when it finally hit the ground it travelled with all the speed of train.

The castle shattered.

Those walls that could hold out armies fell, enchanted stone crumbled to dust as the once mighty castle, a fortress in all but name, finally surrendered.

Then it was buried as endless boulders the size of towers followed after it to the ground, pouring on top of it like the rain until it was covered completely. And still more fell, kicking up clouds of dust so large that the it blocked the entire canyon floor from view.

By the time the announcer finally spoke up, the results of the exam was already a forgone conclusion.

[A-All opponents eliminated. Match over. Total time: 00:00:42. Winner by elimination, Sairaorg Bael.]

"Father," dropping his hand back to his side as he straightened up, Sairaorg turned away and walked back into his castle, not even glancing behind as billowing clouds of dust continued to be kicked up and filled the canyon air behind him, born from the destruction he had caused.

"...I have become strong."

* * *

No one in the room spoke as we all watched Sairaorg return to his castle.

"That," breaking the silence I turned to Sirzechs, still a little shell-shocked at what I had just seen. "...That wasn't magic, was it?"

"...No." Eyes wide, Sirzechs appeared almost dumbfounded as he stared at the screen where the shattered face of the canyon continued to tumble down. "That was nothing but raw physical strength. This... this is unexpected. Sairaorg has evolved beyond even what I imagined."

Turning back to the screen, I added, "I didn't know it was possible for a Devil to cause so much damage just by punching."

"Neither was I," Sirzechs shook his head as if he too couldn't believe what had happened. "With this there can be no doubt, Sairaorg has finally stepped into the realm of Ultimate-Class." Brows furrowing in thought, Sirzechs corrected himself. "No... in pure physical strength alone it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he's borderline Maou-Class."

"...Maou." I repeated, tasting the word. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, you did say he was the strongest Devil born since Ajuka and yourself."

"That I did," The redhead acknowledged with a smile, his composure quickly returning as the shock began to wear off. "Though I admit, that even I was caught by surprised by how much Sairaorg had grown. I had seen him fight three years ago and while he was strong even then, he is in an entirely different league now. I wonder if Zekram knew about this."

"Does this change anything?" I asked.

"No," Sirzechs tuned away from the screen and made his way back to his sofa. "this changes nothing. In fact, I have a feeling Zekram is rather pleased with how eager Sairaorg is to fight you."

"He wants to fight me?" I asked, mildly surprised. As far as I know I've had almost no contact with Bael Heir, he should not have known anything about me beyond reputation.

"Of course he does, I thought it was obvious with the way he sent that challenge." Sirzechs dropped into his seat. "Or did you think that he ordered his Peerage to resign on a mere whim? No Shirou, he did that to challenge you. Just as you managed to win by fighting alone, he wanted to prove he could do the same. He even made sure to bring down his opponent's castle in a single strike just like you did. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise when you remember what Sairaorg's dream is. He wants to become the strongest and as it stands you are the only remaining Devil in his generation that has a chance of beating him."

"So he wants to bring me down to prove he's the strongest?"

"That's right. I'm sure that after your fight many in the Underworld are wondering if it is Sairaorg or you who deserves the title of the 'Strongest Youth'. Which of the two of you is this generation's strongest. And I'm sure Sairaorg is all too eager to prove that title belongs to him. So be prepared when the finals comes about because there is no doubt in my mind that my little cousin will be gunning for you."

"Finals?" I raised a brow. "What happens if we end up fighting each other before then?"

"That will not happen, I promise you." Sirzechs stated with confidence from his seat. "Zekram has invested too much into this to leave it to chance and risk you two eliminating each other early in the game. He will make sure that you two are slotted into entirely separate brackets so that it will only be possible for you fight at the finals. That way even if something unexpected occurs it will guarantee that at least one of you win this Gathering."

"I see," I looked to the screen where the canyon was now blanketed by the cloud of dust. It almost looked like a river of dust had flooded it. "I have three days left until the start of the Gathering, right?

"That's correct." Sirzechs replied, "You are free to do whatever you want until then, but once the Gathering starts you and the other competitors won't be allowed to leave the Arena until the you are either eliminated or the Gathering ends. So if you have anything you need to do Shirou, I suggest you deal with it now because it looks like you'll be stuck here for a good two weeks."

"In that case, I need to get back to the human realm for a quick trip. There was some unfinished business that I wanted to complete later but if I'm going to be stuck here for that long, I might as get it over and done with now." I turned away from Sirzechs to Serafall, who _still_ hasn't finished typing, "Sera, I need a favour."

"Hmm?" she hummed, eyes still locked onto the cellphone's screen, "Sure, what do you need?"

"I need a Bounded Field set up over Kuoh, the same type that used in a Rating Game."

Serafall actually paused typing to look up at my words, "Expecting a fight?" she asked.

"A big one." I nodded. "My opponent is not at a level that I'd have trouble taking her down but if possible I want to avoid killing her. And unless I've completely misread the girl then she wants to fight me, badly." Just thinking about the sheer yearning she had her eyes as she looked me over, the one that bordered on hunger, made me want to shiver. "I don't think she'd be willing to talk to me until I give her what she wants."

"And you'll need a Bounded Field that large just for a fight."

"She's dangerous," explained, "not enough to take me down in straight on fight but she's strong enough to cause a lot of damage to her surroundings. If the fight gets out of hand than there is a high change of us wrecking the city. If that happens than I would have to take her down, and I don't want to kill her or cripple her if I can help it. So it would be better to arrange the fight in a Bounded Field and avoid the risk."

Serafall narrowed her eyes in thought before nodding, "Alright, if you need it I guess I can you ask the Arena staff to set one up for you. They've already finished preparing all the battlefields for the Gathering so I'm sure their free, just tell them I sent you and they'll help. Luckily, I already told them make a copy of Kuoh City a while ago so you can have that one."

That brought me up short. "Why do you even need a replica of Kuoh City?"

"Because then I can have a copy of So-tan's house."

"...and?" I promoted when it didn't look like she was about to say any more, disregarding the part of my mind that was warning me that I really didn't want to know.

"Don't you see Shi-chan, if I have a copy of So-tan's house then I have a copy of So-tan's room. This way whenever I get lonely and miss her, I can sleep in it. If I do that I can fall asleep knowing that somewhere out there, my little So-tan is falling asleep in the very same bed as me."

"...I'm going to go know." I finally answered after a long awkward silence. I did not know if this was another one of her pranks or not but I was too scared to find out for sure, so instead I just hurried out of the room as fast as my feet could take me.

The last thing I heard as the door shut behind me was the furious typing as Serafall returned to her phone.

* * *

"You lied."

Sirzechs turned away from the door that his fellow redhead had just departed from to glance at the other occupant in the room. Serafall was lounging on the opposite sofa from him, lying on her stomach, feet kicking in the air while her tongue was sticking out from the side of her mouth as she focused on her typing.

"What are you really planning?" She asked, eyes locked onto the phone.

Sirzechs shot Serafall a confuse look, "What do you mean?"

Finally finished with her typing, Sirzechs watched as Serafall deliberately pressed the send button before dropping the phone onto the couch.

"Oh come on Sirzechs," Serafall stretched like a cat, hands placed before her as she arched her back, before throwing her legs off the side of the couch and rose to her feet, "you might be a wonderful liar but I've know you for what, two hundred years now. After all that time even I can figure out when your lying."

"Hahaha, that maybe true." Sirzechs freely admitted, "But I'm honestly not lying about anything."

Serafall gave her friend an amused grin in reply, "Well forgive me then if I don't believe you Lord Lucifer, father of lies." She snickered as she began to pace, slowly circling around the couch Sirzechs was sitting on. "What are you and Zekram really planning?"

Sirzechs looked genuinely taken aback by that, "Planning? Serafall I'm not planning anything, at least not with Zekram."

"Oh, sure your not." Serafall nodded mockingly. "And I'm sure you expect me to believe that load of bull you fed Shirou. Old Zeky is the most self-serving creature I had ever met. You expect me to believe that he would sacrifice himself for others? That he would paint a target on himself, make himself an enemy of ever Reincarnated Devil in existence. Not to mention my old Clan."

Serafall snorted as she continued her steady pace as she circled him, her expression a happy one. "As if that old bat would willingly give up anything free. Old Zeky would surrender something of value only when he expects to gain sometime more valuable in return."

"I doubt that Zekram had sacrificed anything." Sirzechs pointed out, turning his head so that he could keep track of Serafall as she circled around him. "Knowing him, he probably has this all planned out so things will play out in his favour. More likely than not, by the end of this he would manage to come out of this mess smelling like roses."

"Undoubtedly," Serafall agreed with a tiny smile on her lips, "but this entire plan of is too unlike him. Giving them Reincarnate Devils an enemy to fight against? Someone to represent them? Changing the opinion on Reincarnated Devils for the better? That doesn't sound like Zeky at all, it's too direct and simply isn't his style. The old coot loves playing the ghost, he prefers plans when no one can tell for sure whether he had a hand in it or not. For him to step out in the open like this and act so bluntly, it's nothing like him at all. It's too heavy handed, almost completely out of character for him. No," Serafall shook her head, "this sounds like something _you _would come up with."

"And why would I do that?" Sirzechs asked, sounding slightly exasperated. "Serafall I know you've been overprotective of Shirou after the Kokabiel incident, but now you're acting just plain paranoid. Shirou is safe and no one is out to get him. And if I wanted Shirou to join the Gathering then I wouldn't have went through such a convoluted plot, not when I could have just asked you directly. You'd have approved my request, so why would I go through all of this trouble instead of just asking?"

"Good question. Why didn't you?" Serafall began to tap her chin in thought. "If it was just over the Gathering that I wouldn't have minded. Shirou wouldn't have been in any really danger and I so love watching him kicking everyone butts and taking names."

The former Sitri looked up in remembrance and sighed a little wistfully. "He really does look hot when he acts all bad ass like that. Is this what they call '_gap-moe_'" Serafall shook her head and looked back at her friend, "But you didn't."

And this time there was something lurking in her eyes as she watched her fellow Satan.

"You didn't ask so that make me think that there is something else being planned here, something other than the Gathering. Something bigger and far more dangerous, something that I wouldn't approve of sending my Shirou into." And her smile grew, gaining a little more teeth than it should have had, while her eyes appeared to flash with hell-fire.

"It makes sense, if the entire Reincarnate Devil issue was a problem that could really be fixed so easily than we would have dealt with it years ago. Shirou winning the Gathering may help only a little, nothing more than a drop in the bucket. I find it hard to believe that Zekram would go through all that trouble for such a small reward. No, there is something bigger at play here. One that involves my Shirou."

She gave Sirzechs a toothy smile, her lips still widening. "The only thing I can't seem to figure out is if it was old Zeky that approached you with this plan or if it was you who approached him. But I'm certain you two are working together. After all, you and old Zeky had always been rather close, what with you being his favourite grandson and all."

"For the last time Serafall," Sirzechs interrupted, sounding half amused and half exasperated with his friend's insistence, "I am not plotting anything with Zekram."

"You working with old Zeky would explain why you didn't do anything to stop the other old coots in the Council when they began to attack my Sona." Serafall continued, disregarding Sirzechs's words completely. "I couldn't step in, not without insulting her and making her look even more weak. But you, you could have. You were neutral in this and could have ended it in an instant if you'd only step in," Serafall disappeared from Sirzechs's sights she stepped behind his couch. "but you didn't."

This time Serafall's voice seemed to come from directly behind him, whispering into his ear. "So I will ask you again Sirzechs. What are you and Zekram really planning?"

A tail, wire thin and colder than ice, shot out from the shadows behind him to wrap around his neck, constricting it like a snake. The tail's edge was like a razor, so sharp that it's mere kiss upon skin would split it, like a knife through water. Had he been a lesser Devil, Sirzechs throat would have already been shredded to strips as the tail effortless parted his flesh.

"_And this time,_" A voice hissed beside his ear with all the warmth an Arctic winter, "_do not lie to m__e."_

_ "_If it is Shirou's safety you are so concerned about then you not need be." Careful not to move his throat least he cut himself, Sirzechs replied calmly, his breath misting in the air from how cold the room had become. Despite his life was being threaten, Sirzechs seemed to show no fear. In fact he seemed to be enjoying the experience if the amused smile he was sporting at Serafall's over-protectiveness over her Queen. "Any plans I have concerning him all ends up with him living a long and happy life. And neither do I have any intention of taking him away from you. Ever. This I swear."

There was a long silence as the creature behind him considered his words.

"I believe you." And when Serafall finally spoke it was with her usual voice, cheerful and carefree as he had ever heard it.

Yet still the tail did not loosen it's hold on him.

"But Sirzechs, I just want you to know that Shirou is _mine_ and if you ever do anything to harm so much as a hair on his head-"

The end of the tail came up and pushed on his cheek, nudging his head to the side so that he could look behind himself. He complied, not fighting the action even as he felt hoarfrost build on his skin where it met the cold touch of the tail, and he finally caught sight of stood behind him.

It was terrifying.

Mist filled his vision, a curtain of white so dense that it appeared to be almost solid. It was there that it lurked, hidden from his sight. The mist would dance in the air, wavering at times and teasing with the secrets it held, affording brief glimpses of what lay hidden in it's depth before concealing it again.

A flash of a bone white teeth, razor sharp and as long as his arm. Distorted light reflecting off skin like the rippling surface of a frozen lake. An impression of a being so massively large that it's bulk was scarcely contained in the spacious room, so big that he felt certain it could gobble him whole with but a single bite.

Burst of newly made white mist would pour out of the curtain as the thing exhaled, it's breath so cold the mist would form when it mixed with the warm air, like puffs of smoke from an ancient dragon. The little glimpse he caught resembled nothing he had ever seen before, this was not a creature that could have been made naturally, for mother nature would have never birthed such a twisted thing.

The pair of violet eyes that shone clearly even through the thick mist was the only thing that remained him of his friend.

Then it spoke, somehow managing to hiss out the words through it's lipless mouth.

_**"**__**I'll Kill You."**_

In reply, Sirzechs just smiled happily at the creature hidden in the mist. "Alright."

"Good," An equally cheerful voice replied in turn.

Sirzechs felt a ring of wetness splash around his throat as the tail constructing him immediately melted. The violet eyes withdrew deeper into the mist and soon after, he heard something fall, tumbling and crashing into the ground before shattering like glass. Not a minute later Serafall stepped out of the swiftly fading mist, looking as cheerful and childlike as ever.

"Well I'm glad we have that all sorted out," She chirped with a quick glance towards the monitor. "and just in the nick of time too. It looks likes the last of the exams are winding down so I'm gonna go and congratulate So-tan for passing."

Humming a tune, Serafall made her way out of the room, almost bouncing with every step. She made sure to wave happily over shoulder as she shut the door behind her, "See ya later Sirzechs."

"Goodbye." Sirzechs waved back as he watched her go, with nothing but amusement dancing in his eyes.

Silence returned as Sirzechs was left alone in the room. He watched the door for a time, lost in his own thoughts before finally, he pushed himself off his seat and onto his feet. Making his way around the couch, Sirzechs paused at the edge of the last remnants of the mist. Only thin wisps remained now and even they were fading, so there was nothing left to block his view.

"Really," He began as he took in the state of the room, "I wonder what he would say if he saw this?"

It was in ruins.

The entire room was crafted from the finest magic resistant stone the Underworld had to offer, reinforced and enhanced so that nothing but the most powerful of attacks could even scratch it. Nothing less was to be expected for a room that would house the Underworld's leaders. But for all that it seemed that it could do nothing in the face of the beast that stood here not a minute earlier.

Ice coated every concealable surface. On the floor, the wall and even ceiling, it was everywhere as if to mock the magic resistant properties the stone they were made from claimed to hold. The only place where ice did not grow was where claw marks gouged deeply into the surface of the stone.

"Shirou had only learned to hate me after he saw my true form. Till this day he despises me, never forgiving me for revealing what I truly am. And I cannot blame him for it." Sirzechs crouched down, taking in the claw marks. "But I wonder Serafall, what would happen when he gazes upon yours?"

Sirzechs stood up and turned to look at the door she had just departed through, "You love him, with every fibre of your being I know that you do, but I wonder, if he were to discover what you truly are would he ever learn to love you in turn?

"You cannot hope to hide it from him forever you know. There will come a time when he will see it. The day will come to pass when you will strip yourself of you false shell, discard the façade of humanity that you wear and show him what you really are. And on that day, when you stand in your true form before him and say 'I love you' through the lips of a monster, would anyone ever be able to say 'I love you' back?"

Sirzechs tilted his head to the side in thought. "Or will he come to hate you as he had come to hate me? When he sees your blood soaked hands and sins you have committed, when he knows of the darkness that stains your heart and soul, will that potential for loving you wither to disgust? And if so what then? Will you wait for an eternity, loving someone who will never love you back, hoping and praying for a miracle that will never arrive?"

Walking back to the front of the couch, Sirzechs continued to speak, "Or will the Hero see the monster that stands before him as it truly is? An evil to be slain. Will the Hero fulfil his sacred duty and call upon his blades to cut the monster down? If that were to happen will you fight back or just stand and watch as the Hero that you've come to loved strikes you down? Or perhaps a miracle will really occur, and a happy ending to this tale can be found."

Sirzechs dropped back into his seat, eyes still watching the door. "Like all things this tale will eventually come to a close. All that is left is to determine how it will end. Will this be a tragedy, and the Demon Lord dies on the edge of the blade of the very Hero she loves? Or is this to be a romance, shall love bloom between the Hero and the monster, will the Demon Lord finally be saved from her loneliness? Or shall she be abandoned and thus the monster will continue to howl in misery, alone for all eternity?"

"I wonder how this story will end," Sirzechs smiled, eyes sparking in amusement, "this tale of a Demon Lord and her Hero?"

Sirzechs shook his head and fell into a contemplative moment of silence before glancing over the back of the sofa, taking in the destruction behind him. "Truly, they are frightening...

"...those Devil's who indulgence in the sin of _**Wrath**_._**"**_

* * *

Even as I squinted, my eyes continued to burn as it took in the world around me. It was the morning rush hour and the street was crowded with people rushing to either work or school, or even getting their morning shopping done.

I had only been away for a few short days but already I found it hard to get used to the human world again. It wasn't just due to the sunlight, though it certainly wasn't helping. It was a clear and sunny day so my eyes had trouble adapting to the sheer brightness of place after the unending night of the Underworld.

No, it wasn't just the sunlight that was the problem but the air as well. I once heard a Devil call the air of the human world so dirty and full of filth that he refused to breathe it. At the time I had thought that he was being melodramatic, just another spoiled brat but now that I had experience the purity of the Underworld's air I had to admit he may have had a point.

There was no cars in the Underworld. Why would Devils need them when they could fly or even teleport? There was no power plants that produced smoke either, no factories either, not when magic was readily available as an alternative source of energy. This was why the air in even the largest Devil cities was comparable to that of a rainforest on earth.

Sidestepping to the right to avoid a particularly frazzled looking man in a suit as he ploughed through the crowd, I continued making my way to my destination. Then there was the crowds. The population of the Underworld was so much smaller than crowds were rarely a problem, not when even biggest cities barely held more than a million souls living in it. Even cities in the traditional sense of the word were rather unusual in the Underworld. Why live in a crowded city when you can live in the countryside and simply teleport to any location around the world whenever you wanted to?

Still, I had to admit a part of me really missed this place. Good or bad, there was something about the human realm that just felt like home in way the Underworld never would.

Looking around as I took a turn onto a side street, a short-cut to the house that I was heading towards, I tried and failed to spot where my Fallen-ninjas where hiding. I could sense them nearby but beyond that nothing, as again they proved to be beyond my skill to find them.

It had been only a few short hours since I left Serafall, the trip back to earth far faster this time thanks to teleporting back instead of using the trains, with Ramiel and other three tagging along with me to help set up the preparations for the fight. The Arena staff had been more than happy to help me with my request, almost eager to please really, and they offered to set the replica of Kuoh city themselves. It was already prepared and ready, now all I had to do was teleport there when the time came.

We had already managed to set up a teleportation circle in a large park not more than a couple of miles away from the Hyoudou residence, one that was linked to the replica of the city. Now all I had to do was convince my opponent to enter it and fight me there, instead of here where thousands could potentially get caught up in out fight.

I had decided to leave both Asia and Xenovia behind. There was no point in bringing them along when I planned to keep this strictly a one-on-one fight, my Pawns only here with me to help set up the teleportation circle and maintain it until we were done. And while Asia was fine with that Xenovia… was less than pleased.

I resisted the urge to wince. To say that Xenovia was depressed from missing out on the examination fight was putting it lightly, I had found the girl all but sulking when I returned to the Sitri Manor. It was only when I pointed out that I still had six more rounds left to fight in the Gathering and promised that I would leave the bulk of the next few fights to her and the others that I managed to cheer her up again.

As for my upcoming fight with Karasuba, she had readily agreed not to come when she learned it was meant to be a one on one fight. Instead she had decided to redouble her training to prepare for the upcoming matches.

Speaking of our resident dragon, it seemed I was right to leave her alone. Looking around the city it was clear that nothing happened while I was away, the reports from the guards station here confirmed that impression. It had overall been a peaceful week.

See? I knew nothing would go wrong if I left her alo-

As if fate was mocking me, I felt a wave of magic pass over me before I even had a chance to complete the thought.

The sensation was something I recognized instantly, a Bounded Field had just been created. It originated from a few miles ahead of me, right in the direction I had been walking towards. And since my destination was the Hyoudou residence, I didn't need to think twice on who was involved in this.

I rushed to Karasuba as fast as my feet would take me, praying that I got there before someone ended up getting killed.

* * *

Grey hair drifted in the air as the youth halted in her tracks in the middle of an abandoned lot. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowed into thin slits as they focused on empty space.

"Are you going to come out now?" She asked, apparently to no one. Her lips curved in a polite smile when she received no response. "Or are you going to keep hiding like scared rabbits?"

There was a long wait where nothing happened but Karasuba persisted, never taking her eyes off the empty spot of air even as the seconds ticked by. Until at last a booming laughter echoed in the abandoned lot.

"Hahahahaha! See I told you she would sense us. This is why hiding is pointless Georg, you should just charge straight ahead."

The empty space wavered like a desert mirage as three figures appeared to stepped out of thin air.

"We are not here to fight you stupid brute." An unusually beautiful blond girl with a blade attached to her belt chided her companion before turning to wave cheerfully towards Karasuba, giving her a welcoming smile. "We are trying to make a new friend here."

"Bah!" A giant of man, half again the girl's height with a body that appeared to be made completely from muscles, waved the reprimand away as if swatting away a fly. He nodded to their target, "Just look at her, she's so eager for a fight she's already bearing her fangs. This one's just like Vali, there is no way she's going to let us go without a fight." And going by the pleased smile on the giant's face as he cracked the knuckles of his hands, he was just fine with that.

And his words were true, for at some point the grey haired girl had acquired a weapon and now the hilt of an unsheathed nodachi sat snugly in her hands. The polite smile still remained on her lips while her eyelids opened ever so slightly from their slits, revealing a glimpse of the grey orbs she used to watch them with.

"Now, now." A spectacled young man with black hair stepped forward, his hands held open before him in a placating manner. He was a tall and slim teen, dressed in dark coloured robes. "There is no need to get defensive. I understand how this may appear and I apologise for spying on you and I fear we may have given you a false impression of our intentions. We do not wish to fight, quite the opposite. But before we begin please allow me the opportunity to introduce ourselves."

The spectacled boy bowed deeply, "My name is Georg and I am the descendent of the alchemist Johann Georg Faust." Rising up from his bow, Georg continued to introduce the rest of his party. "And these are my companions. The lady on my left is Jeanne, the inheritor to the spirit of the French hero Joan D'arc." Jeanne gave Karasuba another cheerful wave while chirping a brief 'Hiya', "While the gentleman on my right is Heracles, the direct descendent of the greatest Greek hero Heracles." Heracles just continued to crack his knuckles while sporting an eager smile.

Georg pushed his frames up his nose as he spoke, "And we are members belonging to the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade, a group of human champions who band together to fight to free humanity from it's Supernatural oppressors. We aim to usher in a new age of humanity, one where we can live free from Gods and Devils alike. Which is why we have come to you."

"Hyoudou Karasuba," Georg held his arms wide open in welcome, "Would you like to join the Hero Fraction and embark on a war to slaughter all of the Supernatural?"

Karasuba smile widened ever so slightly in reply.

* * *

***Chapter End***

**Author's Notes:**

**And that's it for the chapter and at long last the Khaos Brigade makes an appearance. And Shirou, there is no way I could have allowed you to get away with tempting fate twice and get away with it now could I?**

**We have finally caught our first glimpse of Sairaorg in action and I hope you liked him (quick note, Sairaorg was 18 in the light novel and here he is 21. He had three years to grow stronger). ****And let me say that there are going to be different kinds of fights in this arc, from curb stomps to fights filled with mind games and strategy to massive multi chapters epics of fights, so be sure look forward to it.**

**The next chapter may take me longer than usual to write because it's going to be a dozy, it is a key chapter. So far I plan to release it as one big chapter but if I take too long with it I may release it as two mid-sized ones.**

**And one more thing, I plan to post some stats of characters in my profile page (Serafall's should be up in a few hours) because I fear that they may take up too much space if I put it in the chapter. I will post stats from the codex in-story if they have a direct relevance to the plot (and some of them will be) but most of them will be on my profile page.**

**So that's it. I'm really exhausted right now after working to get this chapter out so I really hope ****you enjoyed it. Please be sure to tell me what you think.**

**Thanks for reading.**


	20. Chapter 20: Blame Your God (part 1)

Chapter 20:

Blame Your God (Part 1)

* * *

Their answer came in the form of a descending sword.

Naked steel fell from the heavens as Karasuba came for them, covering the distance that divided them in an instant with but a single leap. The nodachi followed after her, clearing her scabbard and swinging over her head before cleaving down at them. Her speed was so great that it already passed what most considered human, bordering the realm of the supernatural.

And yet among those she attacked, there was one that had the speed to match her and more.

Instead of soft flesh the edge of her sword only found only unrelenting steel waiting for it, sparks erupting as her blade clashed against another, neither giving way or retreating.

"I'll take that as a 'no' then?" Jeanne chirped merrily, blue eyes sparklingly with joy even as the edge of her opponent's blade stood less than a foot away from her throat, the only thing keeping it from claiming her life the sword she used to block its path. She held the longsword easily in her hands, the blade not shifting in the slightest even as Karasuba dug her feet into the ground and pushed, putting her full weight behind her sword. Yet she might as well been doing nothing at all for all the difference it made.

As if unaware of the attempt on her life the golden-haired girl pouted at the grey-haired girl. "Does this mean that we won't get to be friends, Kara-chan?"

The only answer she received was another attack.

Karasuba took a long step back, giving herself the room needed to manoeuvre her longer weapon, before leaping forward again, swinging her sword in three quick strikes, faster than what many would have believed possible. They were almost simultaneous, the following strike beginning almost as soon the first had ended, flowing into one another with such skill that it was almost beautiful to watch the young girl's deadly instrument.

Jeanne blocked them all.

It was as if she wasn't even trying, as if the rain of steel that came for her, each strike with more than enough force to bring down lesser Devils, did not even pose a threat. Without taking a single step forward or back, Jeanne stood her ground in the face of the onslaught, chipper smile blooming even larger.

The first strike she knocked away with only the smallest of motions, nothing but a tiny twist of her sword, shifting the blow that threatened to cleave her in two a little to the left so it missed her completely, crimson and yellow sparks erupting as their swords met falling in sparkling showers about them. She knocked the second strike aside just as easily, using the tip of her blade to redirect the blow away and to her side. The third strike she met straight on.

In the split second between strikes, the impossibly short instant between the end of the second swing of Karasuba's sword and the beginning of the third, Jeanne moved. With speed and reflexes that should have been beyond the reach of men, mundane or otherwise, Jeanne stepped forward, getting into Karasuba's space and blocking the third strike before it could gain any momentum, locking her blade with Karasuba's. With their faces so close together now Jeanne gave Karasuba a large grin, one that might have been mocking if it weren't for the admiration that burned in her blue eyes.

It was not enough to call her skilled. Jeanne's ability with the sword could not be explained by talent alone. If Karasuba wielded the sword with a skill that was prodigal then Jeanne wielded it with a skill that was divine. This was the blessing given to all that inherited the spirit of the Maiden of Orleans, Joan D'arc.

She was a sword-saint, those blessed with a skill that has transcended the mortal realm and reached the plane of the gods, whose ability with the sword could never be surpassed, only equalled. And to house that holy spirit, she was given a body to contain that strength. Thus she would ever be beyond the reach of those that called themselves swordsmen.

"_Wow_! You're really good, aren't you?" Blue eyes shining with excitement, Jeanne laughed merrily as she gave Karasuba a beaming smile filled with honest praise. "I mean really, _really_ good."

Humourless grey eyes seemed to bore into her own from barely a handspan away as they locked blades but Jeanne didn't seem to notice as she continued her chipper chatter. "It's a real shame though. If you were fighting someone other than me you might have even had a chance of winnin-"

_**[**__**Boost!**__**]**_

The edge of Karasuba's nodachi dug into the blond's longsword, biting into its steel and cutting clear through to the heart of the blade before tearing completely through it. After forged steel, flesh and bone did little to slow it down, even that which held a divine soul.

The tip the nodachi bit into the side of Jeanne's neck, the flesh giving no resistance to the blade's keen edge as it effortlessly cut through her, ripping it's way down to her chest before exiting through her opposite hip.

The top half of Jeanne's blade reached the ground, its sharp tip finding purchase in the hard packed earth, burning itself so that it stood erect from the earth.

Jeanne looked down at her broken sword, brows furrowed in confusion, before she raised her sights to look at Karasuba, blue eyes filled with incomprehension. She tried to speak, opened her mouth to form the words but all that spilled past her lips was blood. In the end all she managed to squeeze out was a startled sound.

"-_huh?"_

But Karasuba wasn't looking at her any more, she was already walking past her, making her way to the last two living opponents. Jeanne tried to stop her, reaching a hand out as if to clasp her shoulder, but she felt her legs give way beneath her and she fell to the ground like a puppet deprived of its strings.

A heartbeat later Jeanne died.

Karasuba swiped her sword to one side, flicking the blood off the blade, before slowing to a halt no more than six good strides away from the last two members of the Khaos Brigade. She had a benevolent smile on her blood-spattered face as she watched the two men with half-lidded eyes. She held her nodachi down to one side, neither advancing nor retreating, just patiently waiting for them to attack, all but inviting them to.

The abrupt and brutal end to a fight that had been going overwhelmingly in their side's favour had been so unexpected that it caught the two men flat-footed. Neither of them could react as they stared and tried to come to grips with what had happened.

Out of the two, Heracles managed to to shake off his surprise first.

"...So," the giant of a man began, his voice rumbling from his chest as he spoke, sounding unusually solemn. He had an indecipherable expression upon his face as he watched Jeanne's body lie in a pool of her own blood. "That's it then, the little bird is dead. Ah man," The giant looked away, clearly uncomfortable, and he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck, "even for us that was one hell of a pathetic way to go."

Oddly enough, the man show no sign of anger over Karasuba's unprovoked attack, or even Jeanne's death. It didn't even look like he had any intentions of avenging her by taking up Karasuba's blatant offer to attack. If anything, he appeared more concerned over _how_ Jeanne died rather than the fact she was actually dead, as if he was almost embarrassed for her sake.

A moment later Heracles shrugged, his enormous shoulders rising and falling like boulders, and he seemed to shake off his melancholy as he turned to give Karasuba a toothy grin. "Still, I have to hand it to you Dragon, you are much stronger than any of us expected if you could take down Jeanne. Props for that."

"Oh~," Karasuba drew the word out, her eyes cracking open to observe the giant, grey orbs fully on display. After a moment she must have found what she was looking for because she snorted, eyes crinkling shut again as her lips curled up in amusement. "My, my, aren't you the odd one." she crooned, her shoulders shaking slightly in a silent chuckle. "I don't think I've ever been complimented for killing someone's comrade before. I have to admit it is a refreshing change compared to all the screaming and cursing that I usually receive."

"I know right? Hahahaha!" The giant gave a booming laugh, nodding his head in agreement. "It never makes sense to me why they act so panic-stricken whenever one of their comrades dies. Even warriors these days always seem to be so surprised when one of their own gets struck down in a fight. It's as if they never saw it coming. I swear I can never understand those types." Heracles shrugged and crossed his arms, folding his thick limbs across his chest. "If they wanted to live so badly then why would they ever enter the battlefield? Don't they understand there is no going back, that once they step into the hell known as war they are already dead? Yet they always start bitching and whining whenever I start killing one of them. _Tch!_" Heracles spat to one side. "Annoying pests."

"Oh?" Karasuba arched a single eyebrow, intrigued, "And I take it you're different from them?"

"Of course we are. We're _h__eroes_! _Hahahaha!_" Though the giant laughed at his own declaration, something about the way he spoke told her he was being completely serious. "Heroes don't get to go home. We don't get to die peacefully in bed from old age, surrounded by our loved ones. No, to heroes, the fight will never end. No matter how many victories we achieve or how many monsters we slay, there will always be more. So we will fight, and fight, and fight until we die, cut down by the very monsters we are trying to slay. There is no other way for it to end for our kind. A hero's end will always be a tragic one, nothing but a dog's death on some god-forsaken battlefield. That is the cursed fate of anyone who bears a hero's burden."

"Because that is what true heroes are," Heracles gave Karasuba a grin that was almost feral, "the people who die so others don't have to suffer. We are the willing scarifies so that humanity may go on living for another night without fear of the monsters that lie waiting in the shadows. We in the Hero Faction all know that we are nothing but sacrifies, people meant to die for others, and that not a single one of us will get out of this alive. And still we fight and we will fight 'til the day we die. Which is why not one of us will complain if death comes to us. We choose this path willingly and we never regret our deaths, no matter how tragic they may be. That is the Oath that everyone in Hero Faction lives by. And for all her faults, Jeanne was a true hero."

He laughed again, a rumbling sound that came from deep within his chest. "Which is why I won't bear a grudge against you, Dragon. Jeanne knew the risks and stepped into this hell known as war willingly. Her death was no one's fault but her own for losing. So instead of cursing you, I'll praise you." He gave Karasuba a nod. "Take pride in your victory, little Dragon, for though she was a tiny thing our Jeanne was one hell of a fighter."

Karasuba gave a light laugh at the declaration, daintily raising a hand to her lips. "You know," she began, her eyes half-lidded as she smiled benevolently at the giant, "I think I might have ended up liking you."

"Ha! Would you look at that? I think that's the first time I've ever been praised by a Dragon!" Heracles threw his head back and laughed, his good cheer returning. "Maybe I was wrong, you might be more different than Vali than I first thought you were. Don't you think so, Georg?"

"...Georg?" Heracles's brow furrowed and his expression turned to confusion at the lack of a response. Turning to shoot a questioning glance at his robed companion, he began to repeat the question."I said 'Don't you think she's-' _Oh for the love of!_" Heracles raised one of his giant hands to palm his face, shaking his head in dismay once he caught sight of his companion. "He's doing it again."

"Fascinating." Georg breathed, speaking more to himself than anything as he locked his sights on Karasuba's left arm. "I've never seen anything like it."

With his well-groomed clothing, polite manners and the sharp eyes, the Asian teen normally gave an impression of sophisticated intelligence, which wouldn't have been too far off the mark. That impression, however, was currently ruined as Georg enthusiastically scrutinised Karasuba's left arm, his wide eyes almost twinkling behind his frames as he wore an expression of delight, like a child who had discovered a new toy.

"The Boosted Gear, one of the thirteen Longinus, has the power to double the user's capabilities and is reported to appear in the form of a red gauntlet on the wielder's left arm. All this is indisputable fact and yet, she has managed to call forth the Boosted Gear's power even though her arm is bare. How?" The spectacled Magician continued to mutter to himself, so lost in his thoughts that he didn't give even the slightest bit of attention to the demise of one of the very comrades he had introduced barely a minute earlier, nor to the conversation between Heracles and Karasuba.

Georg leaned forward slightly from the waist as he examined Karasuba's arm, as if getting that much closer might offer him some insight into the mystery. "Did she manage to find a way to use the Boosted Gear without summoning it? No, that's simply not possible. But then – ah, I see." Georg nodded thoughtfully, straightening and cupping his chin. "It must be a Sub-Species, that would explain things, including the irregularity of how the boost effect extended to include her sword in addition to her body. Still, even if it is a Sub-Species, the Boosted Gear must manifest itself somewhere on her body, but where is it? Her legs perhaps? No, there is no sign of bulging anywhere in the legs of her pants to support that hypothesis. Perhaps she's similar to Siegfried then?"

Heracles was still shaking his head at the teen's behaviour, two finger from a single hand massaging his temples as if to ward off a headache. "I asked Cao Cao for proper warriors to fight alongside, men of honour and valour, and what he does he send me? A woman that tries to make friends with everything, even the things that are trying to kill her, and an egghead that would sooner study monsters than kill them. Bah!"

Heracles sighed before he lowered his hand from his face and looked back to Karasuba, giving her an apologetic shrug. "Don't mind Georg here. He is a good lad, strong too, no doubt about that, but he does have a few screws loose. You know," He emphasised his point by thumping the side of his head, "up here." Heracles shrugged again, his shoulders rising and falling like small mountains. "So yeah, sorry about how he's acting. When he gets like this even I have trouble snapping him out of it."

Karasuba just waved a hand before her airily. "No problem." She was still wearing a smile, eyes crinkling, as if infinitely amused by the unexpected course the conversation had taken.

Only the blood spatter staining her cheeks warned of the danger hidden beneath her smile.

"Hahaha, that's good, that's good. Just because we're trying to kill each other doesn't mean we have to be rude." The giant loosed another of his rumbling laughs, crossing his arms before him. "You never know when an enemy will end up becoming an ally in the future. I cannot begin to tell you how many people in the Khaos Brigade were once enemies that were trying to kill each before they joined up, so it's good never to cause any unnecessary bad blood. Still."

All the good cheer seemed to drain away from Heracles as spoke that word, his once open face undergoing a complete transformation, turning hard and unforgiving. The change that overcame the friendly giant was as sudden as it was startling. Whatever remained of the amiable atmosphere was washed away by the blood-lust that poured out of him.

"Still." He repeated, his eyes gleaming with hidden power as he watched Karasuba. "There is no chance of that happening with you," Heracles began to crack his knuckles, "is there, Dragon?"

"No, there isn't." Karasuba admitted freely with a small shake of her head, ponytail swaying behind her, before she gave the giant a teasing smile. "You were already dead the moment I noticed you following me. It's a shame really, I might have considered letting you live if only you tried meeting me anywhere else. It's just your bad luck that you caught me so close to my house. Nothing you could have said or done would have stopped me killing you after that.

"Close to your home?" Heracles repeated, eyes narrowing as he contemplated her words. A moment later they widened and he glared at the grey-haired teen. "...I see, so that's it then. It's your hoard, isn't it? It's near here."

"Well, aren't you the perceptive one?" Karasuba smiled as she praised him, but the eyes that were watching him were too cold, making a lie of the compliment. "Looks like my decision to kill you was right after all, I really can't let you walk away if you figured out that much."

"I thought it was weird how quick you were to attack us. A Dragon's hoard, huh? If yours really is nearby that would explain everything. Vali was like that too, the little prick always did get antsy whenever anyone got near his." Heracles scowled to himself before spitting to the side. "We really messed up big time for missing that."

"Still." Heracles' scowl was slowly replaced with a smile, though his eyes still promised violence. He began to walk, not directly toward Karasuba but to his right instead, his path curving so he was steadily circling around her. He raised his hands and started cracking his knuckles again."I'm kind of happy we did. If everything had gone according to plan we would have parted ways peacefully, and what a shame that would have been if we didn't get the chance to fight it out." A savage, hungry grin made its way to his face as he cracked his knuckles again. "A Dragon stands before me. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't try to slay it?"

"Not a very good one," Karasuba admitted cheerfully, not at all put out by the promise of violence. Rather her smile grew slightly wider, showing just a hint of teeth, and she took a half-step back, pulling her sword behind her as she gripped it with both hands, ready to bring it back around in an overhead strike.

Heracles matched her grin with one equally vicious as he stopped his circling and hunkered down, bringing his body low to the ground in preparation for the fight. His stance was an unusual one, completely lacking in any form of defence. Instead of holding his fists before him, he had one hand set onto the ground to keep his balance as he leaned forward, the other on his knee, his form looking remarkably like a linesman stance.

The sun choose that moment to briefly peek out from behind the clouds, brightening the world about them for a brief instant before slipping back behind cover. Yet for that brief instant that the sun's rays fell on Heracles, it appeared that his entire form glimmered like gold.

Heracles was about to begin his charge, the giant digging his feet deeper into the ground and tensing his legs, when a voice interrupted his attack.

"Heracles, wait!" Georg commanded, only now finally snapping out of his trance to realise the situation about him. "You can't do this."

"Don't try to stop me, Georg." Heracles hadn't bothered to glance at the robed teen, his attention reserved completely for the opponent before him, not trusting the Dragon to stay her hand if he looked away. "She killed Jeanne, even Cao Cao won't object to me taking her down if it means avenging her."

"That's not what I mean," Georg sighed and resisted the urge to roll his eyes with exasperation at the other man's short-sightedness. "I'm not trying to stop you from killing her, just from destroying her body. If we want any hope of extracting the Boosted Gear from her corpse then we need to make sure her body remains mostly in one piece." Georg pushed his frames up his nose. "So make sure you don't blow her body up into too many pieces."

Heracles smirked at that. "No promises."

"Now, boya," Karasuba butted into the conversation with a playful tone, a sly grin on her lips "if you're that worried about what happens to my body then why don't you join in the fight. I promise I don't mind taking you both on at once."

"Not going to happen." Heracles hunkered down once again, wisps of golden light converging around his form as he prepared his attack. "You're mine to kill, Dragon. I won't allow anyone else to take your life but me."

"Now, now, there is no need to worry. I promise you, no matter what happens I won't be the one dying tonight." She turned to give the robed teen a benevolent smile. "So what do you say, boya, care to join in?"

"There does not appear to be any bulging in her back, so that rules out the theory that the Boosted Gear manifests itself there." Georg once again began muttering to himself, focusing on examining her body while completely dismissing her words. "So where is it then? Could it be internalized? But what are the odds of another one like that appearing?"

Karasuba blinked, then blinked again, her smile slipping from her face. There was moment of tense silence as Karasuba slowly unlidded her eyes. "Boya," she repeated, her cold grey eyes watching him, "I was talking to you."

Georg, either unaware that he was being spoken to or too engrossed in his examination to care, did not respond to her words other than to cup his chin as he continued to mutter quietly to himself.

Karasuba watched him unblinking for a few more seconds, her grey eyes boring into the teen, before she snorted and shook her head, eyes drifting shut as she regained her benevolent smile again. "...Boya," she began, her tone casual, as if talking about the weather, "...I think I'm going to kill you first."

For the fist time since she struck Jeanne down Karasuba moved, taking a single step towards Georg. And as if that was the signal for the battle to begin, Heracles attacked.

"I told you!" Heracles roared as the earth beneath his feet erupted, pulverized into dust by twin explosions. He flexed his powerful legs, pushing himself off the ground and working with the explosion to propel himself forward towards Karasuba. "Your fight is with me!"

It was like watching a small mountain move as he ripped through the air, catapulting from one side of the lot to the other, startling how fast he could move. In a feat that belied his size the man covered the distance separating him from Karasuba in less than a second, holding his arms wide open before him as if he intended to tackle her.

Karasuba didn't even glance at him as he charged her from her side, her focus completely reserved for the Asian teen who still failed to notice her approach even as she took a second step forward just as a shadow loomed over her.

"Got you!" Heracles was now almost immediately on top of her, not more than a couple of feet away. His arms began to shimmer with a golden hue as he started to bring them together. They moved to clamp around the grey-haired girl, encircling her body.

Karasuba spared only a single quick glance at the giant towering over her before she looked back to her prey, unconcerned even as the arms of shimmering gold surrounded her, inches away form making contact. Instead, she just mouthed a single word-

_**[**__**Boost!**__**]**_

-and those golden arms found themselves holding nothing but air as Karasuba _blurred._

At the start of the fight, when she had attempted to strike down Jeanne, Karasuba had already been moving at the edge of what was considered the human limit, scratching the surface of the supernatural. But now, now after she had been empowered not once but twice by the Boosted Gear, Karasuba had shattered the wall of the supernatural and bathed in its power.

Even Heracles, a fighter whose senses had been enhanced by magic and sharpened by a decade of combat, could not follow her. She was nothing but a blur, a grey streak to his eyes as she easily avoided his arms, ducking beneath them before they could touch her.

Crouching down, Karasuba flexed her powerful legs and shot forward, ignoring the giant that soared over her head in favour of streaking forward, closing the remaining distance to her prey, who even now remained unaware of the danger he was in as he still continued muttering to himself, still engrossed in his own thoughts.

It was only the flash of steel that snapped Georg out of his thoughts and made him look up just in time to see the sword tip bearing down on him, but by then it was far too late to do anything.

The tip of the nodachi pierced Georg's head, the sharpened steel cleaving through the bone of his skull with ridiculous ease, and the sword was driven almost entirely into his skull, only two inches of steel separating the hilt of the sword from the forehead. The thrust had been spot on, piercing Georg almost right between his eyes, the edge of the blade severing the thin frames he was wearing, splitting them entirely in two.

They hung on his face for a moment, as if they were held in place by mere habit, before gravity took hold of the broken frames and they slipped off the bridge of his nose, tumbling down his face and falling to the ground.

Yet before the broken glasses could reach the ground, a pair of hands reached out and plucked them from the air.

At the same time Karasuba's eyes narrowed, her instincts warning her that something was very wrong with her last strike. She had felt her sword penetrate the Magician's head, sensed the resistance, slight as it was, as it broke through the skull, but after that she sensed nothing, her sword piercing through the rest of his head without even a hint of effort.

A split second was all that she needed to notice what was wrong and her eyes widened with the realization. Her sword, a nodachi with a blade almost a meter in length, was buried almost entirely in the Magician's skull so that its hilt all but rested on his forehead. And yet, that very same blade had somehow failed to pierce through the opposite side of his skull and the back of his head remained whole still, undamaged.

"I wish you hadn't done that." A voice drawled out blandly from right next to her, and Karasuba found herself staring into the dull brown eyes of Georg as he looked up at her from beneath the hilt of the blade. "They were my favourite pair too."

Genuine confusion filled Karasuba's expression, her eyes wide open as she found herself facing the reality of a dead man talking to her.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a comfortable set of glasses?" Georg scolded, sounding more petulant than angry as he frowned, entirely unconcerned with the three feet of cold steel that currently skewered his brain. "Very. And now you've gone and ruined my favourite pair. It's not like I can just glue them back together, it just wouldn't be the same."

"How the hell are you still alive?" Karasuba asked with wonder, her confusion now replaced with fascination as she observed the dead man, but she had barely managed to get the words out when a movement from the edge of her vision caught her attention. Tearing her eyes away from the robed teen's, she focused her attention instead at his forehead, at the point that her sword pierced his skull.

Whatever it was that she saw there caused her instincts to roar at her to escape and she obeyed immediately. Pulling her blade free from his skull, Karasuba leaped away, feet barely touching the ground as she hopped backwards, moving as fast she could while still keeping an eye on the Magician, only stopping once she reached the other side of the abandoned lot where she skidded to a halt, crouching slightly to absorb the impact.

Only once she was sure she was safe, looking up once to make sure the Magician wasn't following her, his focus instead reserved entirely for the pieces of the broken frames he held in his hands, did Karasuba permit herself to glance down at her sword.

It was ruined, the steel blade of her nodachi almost entirely gone. There were only two measly inches jutting out from the hilt of her sword before the blade ended, cut off so smoothly that it ended in a straight line, the blade now all but worthless in a fight.

Karasuba's eyes cracked open, her grey pupils carefully looking over what remained of her weapon. "You ruined my sword," she finally stated, lips bending slightly into a thin frown.

"And you ruined my glasses," Georg retorted, glancing up from his glasses to give her a pointed look. A tiny stream of blood, pencil-thin, flowed out of the gaping wound on his forehead, nowhere near the amount that would have been expected from the size of the wound he had suffered. It spilled down his face as he spoke, slowly running over one side of his nose and reaching his chin before dripping off. With a sigh Georg pulled a handkerchief from the pockets of his robe and began to wipe his face clean. "I say that makes us more than even."

She snorted, amused, her eyes crinkling shut once again as a lazy smile reappeared on her lips. Straightening up to her feet, Karasuba tossed the now useless weapon away to one side and gave the opponent she had underestimated a once over.

"So, Boya." She began, eyeing the supposedly lethal injury she delivered to the boy. "What the hell are you?"

"Human," Georg responded blandly, his attention once again returning to his glasses. "Like you."

The wound she had given him was still there, sitting on his forehead like the vertical slit of a third eye. She could see the bone white edges of his skull lining the wound from where her blade had broken through, as well as the thin line of red flesh outlining that, but beyond everything was different than she had expected it to be. Instead of the blood, gore and grey matter, all she found within his skull was a void.

It wasn't darkness, not a lack of light, but pure nothingness. It was an emptiness, a lack of something so profound that the like of it should have only existed in the vacuum of space. And yet, despite the inherent formlessness of the void she could somehow perceive its boundaries, appearing to her eyes as a colourless mist where void met the open air.

"You are not the only one with a Sub-Species," Georg answered offhandedly, his focus entirely on his broken glasses. After a few more attempts at trying to piece the broken halves together he gave up and abandoned it as a lost cause. Sighing in disappointment as he slipped the broken pieces into his chest pocket, Georg looked back up at Karasuba and continued with his explanation. "Nor with a Longinus, for that matter."

"Ah, so that's it. You're the Dimension Lost's new wielder. I thought that void looked familiar." Eyes now fully open, Karasuba examined the no longer spectacled boy with interest. "That's actually a part of the Dimensional Gap you have spilling out of your head, isn't it, Boya?"

"While that's not entirely accurate, I suppose that's as good an explanation as any." Georg gave an uncaring shrug of his shoulders. "And not to sound rude, but are you sure you should be paying attention to me?" He pointed at something behind her. "Because you are about to die."

"What-"

Skin shining as if it were adored with armour made from the purest gold, Heracles appeared behind Karasuba in a blur of motion with a speed that belied his size, fist clenched and cocked back, ready to deliver a fatal blow. Eyes widening with surprise, Karasuba tried to turn around but had no time to react before a golden fist slammed into the side of her face.

* * *

A wall of air slammed into me the instant I stepped past the border of the Bounded Field. It hit me with all the force of a speeding truck, the shock-wave of air almost solid due to the speed it travelled. The sheer unexpectedness of it was almost enough to push me back out of the Bounded Field, but I managed to brace myself just in time to stop that from happening.

The shock-wave was accompanied by a loud explosion that sent my ears ringing, and billowing clouds of dust filled the air of the empty stretch of land that the Bounded Field covered, blocking my vision of those who stood within it. Luckily a steady breeze was blowing and already the cloud was beginning to clear, so it wasn't long before it was disbursed entirely.

Just when I began to make out the forms of two figures, nothing more than shapeless silhouettes to me, a scream ripped through the air.

_"__AHHHHH!" _It wasn't a roar or a bellow of rage, despite the deep rumbling voice that told me the owner was male, but a high-pitched scream of agony, the panicked sound a rabbit would make when a fox clamped its jaws on its throat.

And mixed in with the screams of torment was the light chiming of laughter, open and carefree, contrasting with the wails of anguish.

Though I had only heard her speak once before, in a dreamscape that contained a crimson Dragon, I recognized her voice immediately. And a moment later my suspicion was confirmed when the smoke cleared completely, revealing her to my eyes.

"Hahaha, what's the matter Heracles?" Karasuba's grey eyes were hidden once again, the wide smile she was sporting caused her eyes to crinkle shut. That smile, it was a benevolent thing, something that wouldn't have looked out of place on a mother's face, yet somehow Karasuba was still able to make the smile feel natural on her lips even as she tortured the man at her feet. "Where did all that bravado of yours go? Weren't you just about to strike me down? Come now, try and kill me again. Make me laugh."

"_AHHH_! Let go! Let go of me, damn it!" The other figure managed to roar out through the pain, sounding desperate, angry and pleading all at once. "You're crushing my skull!"

Lines of blood dripped down one side of Karasuba's face, dyeing one half of her face crimson. It spilled out from a rough gash near her hairline. Yet despite her injury, Karasuba seemed to pay it no mind. She was smiling, eyes crinkling into thin slits as she watched the person she held firmly in her grip.

The other figure, a giant of a man, would have towered over Karasuba if he hadn't been kneeling on the ground before her, having been brought down to his knees and held there by the single hand latched firmly onto his skull. Bellowing in agony, he tried to pull his head free from Karasuba's grip, but to no avail. Even as he wailed at her, smashing his ham-sized fists into the arm of the hand that held him, grasping onto her fingers and trying to pry them off his head, he couldn't manage to pull himself free. Karasuba's hold on him was too strong.

Without command or thought, the blueprint of Kanshou and Bakuya flashed through my mind and I found my body instantly responding, my legs widening into a deeper stance while my hands were held open by my sides, ready to grip the blades as I prepared to project them and charge in. But I found myself pulling short, freezing in my tracks as I recognized the giant.

Before this day I had never seen the man, not in person at least, but I had no trouble putting a name to his face. I had seen his photographs so many times before in the reports that Serafall made me read that I couldn't have mistaken him for anyone else. This was Heracles, a terrorist who was wanted for multiple counts of murder and was one of the few known members of the covert group known as the Khaos Brigade, and it was that knowledge more than anything that stilled my blades and stopped me from jumping in.

Even the Satans knew very little about the Khaos Brigade. Despite their best efforts, what information they had managed to gather was sparse and inconclusive at best. We knew who led them. Their leader was a figure so renowned that their presence in the group was impossible to hide, and we knew they were made up of hundreds of self-governed factions, but other than that very little was known about them. The Brigade had managed to convince hundreds of different groups, each with their own sets of ideologies and agendas, to set aside their differences and unite under a single banner, and we couldn't even figure out how or why. Their goal and purpose were a complete mystery to us.

And with the exception of only a small handful, we knew almost nothing of the members that made up the Brigade. Heracles, though, was an exception. He was one of the Khaos Brigade's enforcers, and thus was far more conspicuous in his actions than the rest of the group, so we had been able to gather more information on him and the people he worked with than almost anyone else in the organization. And as I stood there watching him scream in agony under Karasuba's ministrations, trying to think if I should jump in and help - and if so, then who - my mind supplied me with all the data I had on him.

Extremely high physical capabilities, almost unnaturally so for a human, Heracles was a talented close-range fighter and was reported to have taken down Middle-Class Devils with his bare hands alone. He was also the wielder of the Sacred Gear known as the _Variant Detonation_. It granted the ability to generate explosions on anything its wielder touched and, unlike most Sacred Gears, it did not have a physical form. Instead whenever it was about to activate, it covered its user in a golden aura.

Just like Heracles's body was doing right now actually..._oh shi-_

** _Boom!_**

For the second time since I had set foot into the Bounded Field I got to experience how it felt to have an explosion denoting no more than a couple dozen yards away.

The golden aura that covered Heracles expanded, pushing outwards in a sphere of golden light that seemed to grow brighter with every inch it expanded. And just when the light was about to become too bright for me to watch, it exploded.

It was a wave of pure force, crashing over me like an ocean wave. I felt it slamming into my front half, hitting me with enough force to rip a tree from the ground, roots and all. Oddly enough, there wasn't any heat to the blast. I didn't feel any flames trying to scorching my skin or fire burning my hair and clothes. Instead it felt as if the explosion was made up of nothing but pure force, a blast made from a violent release of kinetic energy.

But whatever the explosion lacked in heat it more than made up with sheer brute power and, in the split second before it reached me, I watched how the ground fractured as the ripple of distorted air leading the explosion passed over it, shattering the surface of the earth like glass.

Unlike when I had been caught unaware when I first stepped into the Bounded Field, this time I was ready for the blast and weathered it with ease. With my feet firmly planted on the ground the force failed to shift me back an inch even as it rammed into me head-on, and a moment later I found myself effortlessly shrugging off the attack without a scratch or bruise to show for it.

But I was a Devil, a Queen at that. The magic in my veins had hardened my body beyond what was possible for mundane flesh, strengthened my skin and bones to the point that they could shrug off bullets and sword strikes without breaking.

Karasuba on the other hand was a very much a human and, Boosted Gear or not, she simply lacked anything that could have protected her from such an explosion. Unless she had managed to get away in time I didn't-

There was another explosion which was immediately followed by another wave of force slamming into me barely a heartbeat after the first one ended, derailing my thoughts. Though I hadn't been expecting it I still managed to weather through the shock-wave of the explosion with little trouble, though I did find that this one was noticeably more powerful than the last. And then it had barely even ended before it was followed by another explosion, then another and another, each one stronger than the last as if they somehow managed to feed off one another.

Just when I thought a sixth blast was about to follow, a loud bellow of agony rang out, drowning out even the noise of the explosions and signalling the end to the chain of attacks. And over Heracles's wails of agony, I could hear Karasuba chiding him, amusement colouring her voice.

"Now, now, none of that." Karasuba lightly admonished him as she tightened her grip on Heracles's head, somehow still managing to retain her hold on him despite his attacks. Heracles yelled out even louder as Karasuba added even more pressure to his skull, all but crushing it her hand.

Somehow the grey-haired girl managed to make it through the explosions without any obvious signs of injury. Though the ground around her feet had shattered, fracturing to fragments the size of coins under the onslaught of the attack, Karasuba barely look frazzled. In fact, other than her slightly tattered clothing and a light sheen of brown dust that covered her, there were no signs that she had suffered through an explosion.

It was then that my senses picked it up.

"...How?" I found myself asking as I stared in disbelief at the energy that had suddenly appeared around her, too low for anyone but me to detect. It was invisible to the eye but I could all but see it clearly with Devil senses, how an energy was cloaking her, covering every inch of skin.

No, that wasn't right. As I thought back I realised it hadn't just 'appeared' but that it was there all along. Since I had stepped into the Bounded Field it had been there, coating and protecting her from the very beginning. The familiar sensation had been pricking on the edge of my mind the entire time, teasing my senses and begging to be noticed but I had been so distracted by all that had been happening that I failed to pay attention to it.

Now though, now that I knew where to look it was startling that I ever failed to realise it was there. The energy cloaked Karasuba's entire form, surrounding her like a second skin, cocooning and protecting her from the blunt of the explosion like armour. And what stood out the most to me was how the energy seemed to taste like _life_ to my senses, shimmering like green leaves bathing in sunlight.

And oddly enough, it was a power that I recognised.

How could I not when I had just seen it for the first time today, not even a few hours earlier. This was weaker than the version I had seen him use, far more diluted, a gust of wind compared the typhoon of energy that Sairaorg had summoned, but it was undeniably the same thing.

"Touki," I mouthed the word, still not able to believe what I was sensing.

It was not a power you could be given, it was something that could only be earned. Only through hard backbreaking work, training to the point of madness, continuous effort on a scale beyond what most people could imagine, let alone achieve, could someone gain it.

And now, standing before me, a young girl just barely in her sixteenth year of life had attained it. An inferior version or not, it was an achievement that should not have been possible for someone so young and yet, there it was, blazing in my senses.

I was snapped out of my thoughts as the giant screamed again.

"Let go, damn you!" Heracles screamed, channelling his pain to fuel his rage. "You're crushing my skull you _fucking_ _bitch_-"

_**[**__**Boost!**__**]**_

_*__CRUNCH__*_

Blood and gore splattered into the air as Karasuba tightened her grip and Heracles's skull burst like a grape. Her fingers dug into his head and buried themselves in his brain, caving his skull as if it were made of soft clay instead of bone.

"Now, now, there is no need to resort to name calling." Karasuba chided the dead man lightly as he hung limply from her grip. She gave the lifeless body in her hand a pleasant smile. "Why, if you wanted me to let you go, all you had to was ask. See?"

Karasuba proceeded to do just that and released her hold on him. Heracles's body stood straight up for a brief moment as if it didn't realise it was free, before it began to slowly tilt to one side and slump over, hitting the ground with a sickening splat.

"Now, then." Karasuba turned away from the corpse, having lost all interest it. "It looks like it's only you and me left."

For a brief moment I actually thought she had been talking to me, only to notice she was facing away from me. Following her line of sight, I discovered that there was someone else in the Bounded Field with us.

"So it would seem."

From the other side of the lot, a young man, perhaps not quite out of his teenage years yet, stepped forward. He was dressed up in dark-coloured robes and had a face with distinctly Asian features, topped with a mop of black hair. Had he been wearing a Kuoh academy uniform I had no doubt that most people would have easily mistaken him for an ordinary high schooler. And yet anyone who had even a drop of ability to sense magic would have known how abnormal he was.

Even if I ignored the gaping hole he had in the middle of his head, something that would have earned him more than a few passing glances, I would have immediately been able to tell that there was something extremely wrong with the boy. To my eyes he appeared completely normal, nothing but an ordinary human male, but to my magical senses the boy appeared to be a void in space.

He was hollow, as in physically hollow, nothing but human skin draped over a void. I could sense nothing from inside of him, not organs, not his heart, not his brain, not his lungs, not even air or magic or even space. There was literally nothing there. It was as if something had scooped everything out from inside of him and forgotten to replace it with anything else, leaving behind a hollowed out human with an emptiness inside of him. An emptiness so profound that it felt like it was where reality ended, a void where nothing existed, not even space.

And yet, he somehow managed to have a heartbeat despite not having a heart. I could just barely hear it on the edge of my hearing if I reinforced my ears, far quieter that it should have been, but it was definitely there. And I could see his chest rising and falling as he breathed, though I knew he had no lungs to breath with.

So no, no matter what my eyes told me, this boy was far from ordinary.

And as if to match the void within him, the boy's face was equally empty of expression, lacking even a hint of emotion as he calmly eyed the body of the dead man by Karasuba's feet before glancing to the corpse of a blonde girl not too far away – _what the hell had __happened__ in the time it took me to get here?_

A moment later the boy shrugged, "A pity." he glanced up at Karasuba. "Heracles and Jeanne both numbered among our most reliable fighters. They may not have been the strongest or even the smartest among those who joined the Hero Faction, but they were competent and loyal to our cause. Replacing them will not be easy." Despite his words his voice was flat, tone unconcerned, almost as if he was stating facts rather mourning the loss of his comrades.

"Still, I suppose this outcome is only to be excepted." He raised a hand to his nose, as if he was about to push up a pair of glasses, only to pull up short when he realised there was nothing there. A frown appeared on his face for an instant, the most emotion I had seen out of him so far, before it was gone as swiftly as it had appeared and he gave an unconcerned shrug. "I asked them to take down a Longinus wielder. It was my error in judgement to have anticipated a different result than this one. Though in my defence, none of us expected you to have mastered the Boosted Gear." He shrugged again. "Ah well, I suppose that there is a lesson to be learned here: never presume anything about an enemy. I will be sure to take the lesson to heart. Nevertheless, I have wasted enough time and resources on you. It is time to end this."

"Ho~," Though Karasuba's face was angled mostly away from me, I could almost hear the amused smirk in her voice. "You make it sound as if you have a chance of winning. What makes you think you have any better chance of succeeding than they did?"

She emphasised her point by kicking the corpse by her feet.

"For one, I have a Longinus, which should put us on more than even footing." The boy raised a hand into the air and balled it into a fist, two knuckles slightly extended as if he was about to rap on a door. "Secondly, like you, I too have mastered my Scared Gear."

Then he twisted his hand around and reached over his shoulder before he knocked twice on the air behind him.

_Reality rippled._

Starting from where he rapped his knuckles, two ripples spread vertically across the air like the waves on a curtain. It was like watching a stone tossed in still lake as reality distorted. And that was only what I was seeing with my eyes; what I could sense through magic was even more unbelievable.

He had summoned a void with the first ripple. It was thin, barely thick enough for me to even sense, but it was wide, and it was crafted from an emptiness that was every bit an equal to what the boy held inside himself. Then with the second ripple he linked the void to some place or something else, and wherever it was it must have held an enormous amount of magic because so much Mana flowed through that link that it flooded the entire void he had summoned almost immediately.

After the second ripple had passed, lines of magic appeared to take its place in the air. They started out as mere dots, pinpoints of different coloured lights hanging in the air, before they began to grow, stretching into lines and curving back into themselves.

In less than three seconds since they had appeared, the pinpoints of light transformed themselves into magical circles, hundreds of them, each one crafted with such intricate designs and complexity that was beyond anything I was able to comprehend. Each and every single last one of them of a different design, spanning from a dozen and more different schools of magic. They filled the air with their numbers, painting the sky with a kaleidoscope of colours as they hung behind the boy.

"And finally, just like you learned to wield a sword and your Touki, I too have acquired powers beyond what was granted to me by my Sacred Gear." The boy lowered his hand, his frame backlit by the wall of dimly glowing magical circles. "Hyoudou Karasuba, while this meeting has not gone as I had expected it to, I cannot deny it has been interesting. But I fear our acquaintance has come to an end."

The runes that lined the inner border of the magic circle began to spin, building up speed as they began to activate. The circles flared up with light as they gathered Mana into themselves, drawing it in not from the air as they should have but from beyond. Reaching out into whatever realm that boy had linked them to, the magical circles drew in a massive amount of Mana to fuel their attack. And what should have been a long time consuming process was over in a matter of seconds, and now each of the myriad circles held enough energy to bring down a small building.

The hundreds of circles spun in the air behind the boy, brimming with so much power that they burned in the air like fire. And as the boy was backlit by their light, I was momentary reminded of Gilgamesh and his Gates of Babylon.

The boy gave Karasuba a polite nod. "I'll be taking your head now."

If Karasuba was in any way daunted by the overwhelming fire power that was levelled against her, she didn't show it. Her mockery of a benevolent smile was gone, nowhere to be seen, replaced by something that was less a grin and more of a bearing of teeth, and I could almost taste the excitement radiating from her as she watched the Magician with eyes wide open. Swiftly she readied her nodachi, a weapon that I would have sworn that she hadn't been holding a minute earlier, raising the sword over her head in preparation for a strike.

_**[**__**Boost!**__**][**__**Boost!**__**][**__**Boost!**__**]**_

If I had any doubts remaining that Karasuba knew how to use the Boosted Gear then they were all gone. Just like she had when she crushed Heracles's skull, I felt her power double, only to double again and again. Everything about her increased eight-fold in the span of a single second. Her strength, her life-force, even her minuscule magic rose up until it had reached a respectable amount by human levels, but more worrying was her _Touki_. It too had grown stronger, becoming far denser than it had been before, adding to her already enhanced power.

The Boosted Gear had the power to double _anything_, and I was finally beginning to completely understand how terrifying a power it was.

On one side a storm of magic had assembled, the shades of their light staining the sky in a kaleidoscope of colours, each ring holding enough power to bring down an ordinary man a hundred times over. While on the other side the might of a Dragon gathered, with the strength to strike down Gods and bring ruin to the greatest of cities.

These two titanic forces were about to clash, right in the heart of a residential district in Kuoh city, with only a hastily built Bounded Field separating their attacks from the rest of city. And I knew it wouldn't be enough to stop the blast. It didn't matter who would win, when these two struck, a lot of people were going to die.

There was a lull of silence as these two powers prepared themselves before they crashed. It was like the calm before the storm, an omen of ruin that was to come, almost as if they were allowing the city a final moment of peace before devastation claimed it.

All too quickly it was over.

They struck, attacking almost simultaneously as if under the command of some unseen signal. The circles of magic flared, burning even brighter in the air as they prepared to discharge their gathered power. While opposing them, Karasuba began to bring her sword down in a strike, as if somehow a sword of plain steel could cut down both the mage and his magic despite the distance separating them.

"_Enough__._" I commanded.

_And their hearts stopped._

The air freezes, it literally freezes as all the Mana in the air froze over. Deep in their chests both Karasuba's and the Magician's hearts fell silent as they both stopped beating, while even their very lungs had halted in mid-breath.

That was no surprise. As it stood, the only one allowed to breath here was me.

In the air up above and behind the Magician, the rings of magic appeared to bulge as they tried to hold back the tide of their power, the magic circles sputtering in their rotation as they aborted their attack in the last possible moment. Karasuba reacted much the same way, her limbs almost buckling under the strain of pulling her attack short, stopping her sword's descent almost as soon as it had begun.

Both of them, Magician and swordswoman alike, froze in place and stood like stone statues, so still that it was only the cold sweat that had broken out on their faces and slight trembling of their limbs that told me they were alive.

I didn't need to read their minds to know what was happening to them, I already knew too well. Even now, over two years since that day, I still remembered the feeling clearly. How the air seemed to freeze over, a chill like thorns hooking into your flesh as it gripped you, holding you in place, body turning numb with fear, and how you had to clench your teeth just to stop yourself from trembling.

And above all, the absolute certainty that you were about to die.

And they were right, if either of them had moved a single step, I would have killed them.

"Seeing as you have both stopped moving, I don't think I need to explain what will happen if either of you try anything. But let me make it clear anyway." I walked forward and placed myself off to one side from the two, positioning myself in both their line of sight while making sure I had them both in mine. "If you move, you'll die."

Bathed in the blood of thousands, born from the corpse of a great beast, its cursed edge could cut short even the fates of men, so even those burdened with great destinies could not escape the bite of its barbed blade. It began its legend in hands of the trainer of heroes and ended its journey in the hands of her greatest student, a man so ferocious that he stuck a man down long after his heart had stopped beating in his chest and the river had turned red from his blood.

Now the cursed spear of the Irish hero, the hound of Culan, sat in my hands, blazing with a demonic light as it stood ready to deliverer the fatal blow to any who dared oppose it.

Wielded by a Lancer in blue, this cursed spear had once killed me, its wicked tip tearing through my chest, effortlessly slicing past muscles and ribs before piercing my heart. I should have died that night, bleeding on the cold floor of the school corridor, and I almost had. It was only thanks to the kindness of a girl that I had barely even spoken to that I was saved.

It should have felt odd, holding a weapon that had taken my life not too long ago, the memory of its bite still vivid in my memory, the coldness of its steel in my flesh. Yet for all of the spear's bloody history I could not help but feel reassured as I felt the solid weight of Gàe Bolg's shaft in my grip. If a fight were about to break out then I needed to take these two down, fast, before they dragged anyone else into their encounter. And I could think of no better weapon for the task than this one.

Glancing between the two to make sure I had their attention, I ordered, "This ends now, both of you will cease your attacks and withdraw. If either of you try to continue this fight, I will kill you."

They both stared at me, neither of them reacting. Karasuba, armoured with the life energy of her boosted _Touki,_ with her sword still held above her head poised for a strike, while hanging in the air behind the Magician the magic circles continued to spin lazily, still charged with power and ready to strike at a moment's notice. Either one of them could attack at any given moment.

For a long, heart-stopping moment I thought that they were going to ignore my warning and fight anyway, forcing me to kill them to protect the surrounding civilians. I had already begun to pull the spear back slightly, ready to thrust it at whoever moved first, while in my mind I held the blueprints of a dozen other swords ready to fire at the second, when one of them finally acted.

It was the Magician.

Like the gears of a giant clock, the runes spinning within the borders of the circles began to slow their rotation, steadily grinding to halt while the magic they had gathered dispersed into the air and flooded the area with raw Mana. The blazing lines of magic that formed the body of the circles began to dim before fading entirely as the circles were extinguished.

"I...I remember this feeling. This is fear, isn't it?" The boy was literally shivering after his close encounter with death, his face drenched with sweat. He stared down at his open hands as they continued to tremble, and there was so much raw emotion on his face at that moment than I couldn't tell what he was feeling.

"To think, it wasn't just a boast. You really are an immortal-killer." He turned to look up at me, and there was something approaching wonder in his eyes. "Aren't you, Emiya Shirou?"

Seeing that it looked like he was willing to back off I lowered the tip of my spear, pointing it to the ground, but still held it ready by my side in case he tried something. "You make it should like you're an immortal." I replied with a slight frown.

"I am. Or at least I was before you came along." He answered, and as he spoke I could actually see the emotions begin to drain from his face. It had barely been a few seconds since I lowered Gàe Bolg and already he had recovered from his near brush with death, his trembling disappearing entirely and his expression retuning to the cool look he wore before. "Ah, forgive me. I'm rambling. I've even forgotten to introduce myself, how rude of me."

The Magician placed his hand on his chest and bent from the waist in a bow. "My name is Georg, a member of the Hero Faction of the Khaos Brigade, and my lord Cao Cao's humble servant."

Slightly taken aback by the declaration – he had just told me more information about the Khaos Brigade in once sentence than the Satans had been able to uncover over the past year - it took me a moment to gather my wits and reply.

"Emiya Shirou," I nodded, "Serafall leviathan's Queen, though you already knew that. I have to admit I'm rather surprised, I didn't expect anyone from the Khaos Brigade to ever bother introducing themselves. I thought you were supposed to be a secretive lot."

"Normally that would be the case," he rose up from his bow and flashed me a polite smile, "but things have changed. We have no use for anonymity any longer. The time for hiding is almost done, and soon all the world shall know about the Khaos Brigade. And, that being the case, I see no harm in telling you our name."

"I see," I answered, doing my best to hide the alarm I was feeling. I made a mental note to report this back to Serafall as soon as possible. If the Khaos Brigade were ready to strike then it meant that war might be even closer than anyone of us had expected.

"Leaving that aside, I'll ask you again Georg." I shifted Gàe Bolg in my grip as a warning. "Will you retreat? I'll give you my word if you withdraw now that I will let you leave unhindered."

"Yes, I believe I must." He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he glanced around. "This mission has been a complete failure. Not only has the Boosted Gear wielder proven to be far more hostile to our cause than we anticipated, but also far more powerful. Not to mention we did not foresee you being here, Emiya." He gave me a measuring look. "Our latest intelligence had you pegged down in the Underworld with the Gathering, and without the Heiresses to guard we had believed you would have no reason to appear here. It seems we were wrong."

Georg shook his head. "So yes, I will leave. We have already wasted more resources on this venture than predicted, and I cannot justify risking any more now that you've arrived. Faced with such odds, I'd rather cut my losses and retreat, but I must insist on taking the bodies of my comrades with me." He waved a hand over the two corpses scattered across the field.

"Then fine," I waved him on with my spear, "take the bodies and leave."

"As you wish," giving me another brief bow, "but before I depart would you permit me to ask you a single question?"

I considered denying his request. Right now I wanted nothing more than for him to be gone before something else went wrong, but after thinking on it I decided against it. We had almost no information on the Khaos Brigade and he had already proven more than willing to spill some of their secrets; if keeping him talking meant he would spill some more, then answering a question would be a cheap price to pay.

"Thank you," he said once he saw me nod. "My question is this: your power, the one you used to strike down the Phenex and make Lucifer himself bleed, was it something you already possessed before you were remade into a Devil or did you had acquire it after your transformation?"

"Before," I answered, seeing no harm in answering the question. "My powers were something I developed as a human. My reincarnation into a Devil did nothing but enhance what I had always been able to do, nothing more."

"I see, so it was a power born from man. If only we had found you first," Georg sighed, though there was a smile on his lips. "Still, it is heartening to know that humans can reach such heights. We may not have acquired the Boosted Gear, but the knowledge that humanity can bring down gods with their own power is reward enough."

"I am grateful to you for answering my question," Georg bowed again. "In thanks, let me provide you with some information in turn." Whatever I had expected Georg to tell me, it wasn't what he ended up saying. "Your sister is looking forward to finally meeting you."

"Ilya?" For one heart-stopping moment I thought he had been talking about Ilya, before reason took hold and I realised that there was no way he could have meant her.

"No, not her," Georg shook his head, confirming my thoughts, "or at least I do not believe she has ever referred to herself by that name before. All I know is that your sister has been eager to meet with you, and I believe she plans to seek you out soon enough. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be taking my leave."

Before I could get another word in the young Magician calmly lifted his foot off the ground, only to bring it back down again, stomping on the dirt.

It was as if the earth had turned to water as a ripple ran through the ground, no, through reality itself when his foot hit the earth. The wave travelled across the ground, spreading away from him in a circle as if he were a stone tossed in a lake, leaving a strange mist-like haze hovering over the ground in its wake.

Seeing the ripple approaching me I leapt back, lifting Gàe Bolg in case this was some kind of attack, but I relaxed a moment later when the wave stopped well away from me. It was only when I saw the fate of the corpses that had been caught in the range of the ripple that I understood what he was doing.

They were sinking, the bodies of Heracles and the other girl were submerging into the ground as if had turned to quicksand, rapidly disappearing beneath the surface of the earth until they couldn't be seen. When I looked back at the Magician I realised that he too had been included in the spell's effect.

"Goodbye Emiya Shirou," Georg gave me a polite smile as he sank into the ground, which had already reached up to his shoulder and was on the brink of swallowing him whole, "it has been a pleasure meeting you."

Then he was gone, his head dipping beneath the surface of the earth, and I could immediately feel whatever spell he had used disappearing along with him as the ground turned solid once again. For the next few seconds I scanned the surrounding area, straining my senses both magical and mundane as I tried to make sure that he was really gone, only allowing myself to relax a little once I couldn't sense even a hint of his presence.

While I had been tempted to stop Georg, the knowledge that he had on the Khaos Brigade would have been invaluable, I knew it was better to let him go than to try. Not only was it unlikely that I could have captured him alive, but even if it were possible I doubted that _she_ would have been content to sit back for much longer.

I had been trying my best to ignore her, focusing all of my attention on Georg in an effort to push away any thoughts about her from my mind, but now that Georg was gone I had nothing else to distract myself. So with a heavy heart, along with the knowledge that I had no real choice in the matter, I forced myself to turn around and looked at her.

Karasuba was looking at me like Christmas had come early.

"Emiya," she breathed ,and it was such a happy sound. Had it been anyone else speaking, I would have easily mistaken her tone for that of a women in love. As it was it took everything I had in me not to stab her in the face with Gàe Bolg.

It was funny, really. I had just seen her crush a man's skull with her bare hands, her face was still spattered with his blood, and it failed to faze me, I hadn't even batted an eye. But when she called my name like that, with a voice filled with so much longing and hunger, I wanted nothing more than to put as much space between us as I could and run for the hills.

I wonder if that said more about me than about Karasuba.

Though unlike my first encounter with her, I refused to allow her to affect me. I had been caught unaware back then, the encounter a completely unexpected one. This time, however, I came knowing what to expect. So I steeled myself, refusing to allow her to affect me or even permit a hint of the discomfort I was feeling to appear on my face.

They did say that animals could smell fear after all.

"Karasuba," I answered back, secretly proud of how calm I sounded.

"Emiya," she repeated again, this time with far more glee. A mad grin stretched across her lips while she stared at me with wide open eyes, radiating an unholy joy

It was the voice, I decided, that creeped me out the most. The raw yearning in it was something I could not handle. I had heard Serafall speak to me in the same tone of voice a couple of times before but I had a feeling that she had a different reason for doing so. Plus, at least Serafall hadn't been covered in the remains of her victims when she spoke to me like that.

It made me so uncomfortable that I felt almost relieved when Karasuba levelled her sword at me.

A fight was something I could handle, blood and mayhem something I was trained to face. It was something that I understood. The sheer delight that radiated off of her, mixed in with a deep-seated desperation, however, was something I did not, and it honestly confused me to a point that having her try and kill me was a relief in comparison.

Again, I wasn't sure if that said more about me or her.

Then I remembered where we were, and any relief that I was feeling turned to dread as I thought of all the people that risked getting caught in our fight.

"Karasuba, stop." I commanded, but she didn't hear me or wasn't willing listen. Instead of stopping I sensed the Touki flare back to life around her, just as strong as it was when she was about to face Georg, as she raised the sword over her head, ready to strike. And I swore she seemed to shiver with anticipation as she eyed me with blood-lust.

"Karasuba!" I yelled, bringing Gàe Bolg to bear and pouring my Prana into, causing its blade to blaze to life and flood the air with its power. "Stop now!"

But it was no good. Even the threat of death that the spear emitted did nothing to deter her, rather, it actually seemed to spur her on as I sensed her excitement begin to build.

It was at that moment, with the startling clarity of insight, that I finally began to comprehend what it was about Karasuba that bothered me so.

_Obsession_.

It radiated off her in endless waves, so thick in the air that I could almost taste it. A need so powerful it was almost a compulsion, a desperate desire for _something_, though what I didn't know, that it drove her to brink of madness. She wanted it so very, very badly, from the very depth of her soul, and was willing to do anything to get it.

And she believed I was the one that could give it to her.

It explained why she was willing to let Georg go. Why despite all her blood-lust and battle hunger, she had completely ignored the existence of a powerful opponent that she had been so eager to fight not a minute earlier in favour of focusing exclusively on me. And her need was so strong, her desire so great that she was willing to toss away everything, even her own life, just for the chance of finding it.

Even now, with my blade pointed at her throat, she was willing to cut herself on it to get to me, throw herself on my spear if it meant she could grasp it in her hands. And somehow I knew that whatever it was she wanted, it was not something that could be found on the edge of a blade. As blood-soaked as she was, if what she wanted could have been on the field of battle, then she would have surely found it by now.

I remembered the first time we met, after I had entered the realm of her soul and seen a crimson Dragon roar in defiance to the heavens. I remembered how I fled the classroom that day, how I was filled with the absolute certainty that if I didn't leave her sight that instant she would have jumped right through the window to get to me, break through the glass and charge at me blade swinging in a room filled with Devils. And looking at her now, as she radiated an unholy joy at the prospect of facing me, I was sure that decision was the right one.

I think it was that desperation that had scared me.

The reason why she was so reckless, why she had been willing to attack not just two Devil Heirs but even me as well, an opponent that she had no chance of winning against, was because she was so desperate to find what she was looking for that even the loss of her life would not dissuade her.

It was like she had nothing to lose.

She should have felt the touch of Gàe Bolg brush over her heart, understood the certainty of her death on its blade should she continue, but she still raised her sword anyway. She had nothing to lose; whatever it was she wanted, her life would have no meaning without it, so she would throw it all away for the chance to find it.

Like Assassin, who had fought and died on the temple steps though he had nothing to gain, so too would Karasuba fight and die here because she believed she had already lost everything.

"Please," I pleaded, trying to find a way to stop her, "please don't make me kill you."

But it was no good, she was already lost, whatever madness that gripped her soul made her beyond reasoning. I could already tell by the way she shifted her stance slightly and tensed her legs, that she was about to charge. And when she did, I knew I would have no choice but to kill her. Though it was not what I had wanted when I had sought her out, if it meant saving innocent lives I would not hesitate to put her down.

_Shame_, I thought as I readied my lance at Karasuba and hardened my resolve, _it looks like I __could not save her __after all__. _Still, I decided to give one last attempt to stop her before I would thrust my spear and end her life.

"Karasuba, if we fight here then all the people around us will be caught up in our battle," I tried reasoning with her. "They'll _die_ Karasuba. If you don't care about your life then at last care about theirs."

Honestly, I said those words more out of desperation than any real hope of them working at persuading her to stop.

Which is why I was so stunned when it __did __work.

Karasuba actually seemed to hesitate, halting her attack to stop and consider my words. I could tell the exact moment that the meaning of my words began to sink in, her brows furrowed as her lips twisted slightly in distaste, almost as if she had bitten into something bitter. She glanced around herself, taking in the houses that stood just outside the border of the hastily constructed Bounded Field, one that would do next to nothing to protect them if we ended up fighting all out.

She sighed then, slumping slightly as she lowered her sword before looking up at me from beneath her bangs with an almost reproachful look, "You really know how to ruin a girl's mood, don't you Emiya?" She chided, though there was a hint of teasing in her tone.

She shook her head one final time before obediently sheathing her sword without complaint, her Touki dispersing a moment later, and I watched as her manic smile receded back into something a little more tame while her grey eyes were hidden one again behind her lids.

"Really, getting me all worked up over nothing." She shook her head, sending her bangs swaying. She did quirk an eyebrow a moment later before snorting, an amused sounding noise. "And you might want to shut your mouth before something flies in."

I shut my mouth with a click. I was caught so off balanced by her last minute change that I had been gaping at her in stunned disbelief, while Gàe Bolg hung limply in my grip and...

...what the hell just happened?

I couldn't bring myself to believe what I was seeing, I was still half certain that this was all a dream and I'll wake any second now to find Karasuba coming at me in a suicidal charge. And I would have probably continued to stare dumbly at her for the next couple of minutes if her cellphone hadn't chosen that moment to ring.

Completely ignoring me, Karasuba dug into her pocket to pull out her phone before flipping it open and placing it by her ear.

"Hello mum," She began, turning away from me. "Yes, I'm almost home, I just ran into a friend from school and decided to stop for a chat. What?" Karasuba looked startled by what she heard, before her shock was replaced by a sly grin and she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. "Sure, hang on while I ask him."

Karasuba lowered her phone and turned back to me. "Emiya," She began pleasantly, a polite smile on her lips that fooled no one, "my mum wants to invite you over for lunch."

...This day just keeps getting crazier and crazier.

* * *

__***Chapter End***__

****Author's notes:****

Poor Shirou, he really has had one hell of a long day. I never intended it to be but as I was looking over the last few chapters I realised that it has been less than 24 hours since the ceremony starting the young Devils Gathering. Which meant since chapter 17 till now has all happened in the same day...and it's still not over!

Anyway, sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out but I was once again plagued with writer's block (the bane of my existence) and I had a hell of time getting this chapter out (the words kept fighting me every step of the way), but with some help I managed to get through it an I'm back again. And like I expected I ended up cutting this chapter in half (If I hadn't the chapter would have been 30K+ and another month late), so all the major reveals and plot twist will be in the upcoming chapter.

And one thing I would like to make clear with this story, when people fight there are going to be deaths. This isn't going to be one of those stories where people fight in wars or enter battles where both sides are trying to kill each other yet everyone leaves without a single causality because the characters are needed for plot (I'm looking at you here Freed. do you know how many fics – plus in cannon – this guy kept surviving even when he gets his ass handed to him time and again but lives just because he is needed later on in the story. Well not here, hell Freed didn't get to survive the start of the fic...and now that I think of it this fic has a high mortality rate, Raynare and the other Fallen were killed off without any screen-time.) If someone is fighting against an opponent that's trying to kill them and lose, they'll die. While I can understand key characters surviving at times (if the hero dies the story ends after all) but so many minor villains and side characters surviving is mind boggling to me. The problem with doing things like that is there is no longer any stakes and consequences, it's what in my eyes can potentially ruin even great fics because nothing really matters. That one of the reasons is why Fate/Stay night is so memorable because every choice does matter and ultimately changes fate, and in the end even the Servants who we grew to love and cheer for end up dying. So one of the things I want to convey is that war is war, not a game. You don't go into a fight to the death and expect everyone to come back out alive.

And allow me to make it clear now, (outside of the Evil Pieces) once a person is dead and is confirmed dead, they will stay dead. No ass-pull revivals here. And once someone enters a battlefield anyone can die.

Well, anyway, other than that I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Part of the reason why I had trouble getting it out is because it was mostly in third person and made up mostly of fights scenes (both are things I have trouble typing) so it might have been a little rough around the edges. But hopefully it turned out well and you ended up enjoying it.

That's all for now, be sure to tell me what you think and thanks for reading.


	21. Chapter 21: Blame Your God (part 2)

****Author's notes:****

Quick note of warning. I'm still writing the big fight scene that I promise you all and I'm taking my time with it so I make it as great as I can. But since I had this chapter finished and ready I decided to post it for you to read and keep you occupied while I continue writing the fight.

Hope you enjoy the chapter.

****Chapter 21:****

****Blame Your God (Part 2)****

* * *

I was right.

This day just keeps getting crazier and crazier.

"See, this is what you get for fighting again." Aiko Hyoudou thoroughly soaked a cotton ball with disinfectant before she gently took hold of her daughter's head and dabbed at the cut. "Who ever heard of a girl doing something as dangerous as getting into street fights. I swear I don't know where I went wrong with you."

"__Ouch__!" Karasuba hissed in pain, pulling her head away from her mother to glare sullenly up at her, "Mom, that stings."

"Oh, stop your whining you big baby." Aiko brushed her daughter's complaints aside and gripped Karasuba firmly by the chin, holding her in place as she continued to treat her wound. "If you're brave enough to strut around with an injury like that, then you're brave enough to get it treated. Now hold still and let me finish."

Karasuba scowled in indignation at her treatment but obeyed, enduring her mother's ministrations while sulking in her seat like a petulant child.

While Karasuba had managed to do a half decent job of cleaning herself up on our way here, she still looked like she had just walked away from a fight. Even if she could wash away most of the blood covering her, there was nothing she could do to disguise the large bleeding gash she'd received to the side of her head, courtesy of Heracles. As it was, I was just grateful that no one had reported us to the police on our way here, though we had managed to garner our share off odd looks.

Aiko had already been patiently waiting for us to arrive at the house so had immediately caught sight of Karasuba when we entered. Yet instead of panicking, as I had half-expected her to do, Aiko just sighed resignedly, as if she had expected something like to happen, before latching onto her daughter's hand and all but dragged her to the kitchen to have her cut treated, studiously ignoring all of her daughter's protests with a practised ease.

It was at that moment, when I saw Karasuba being manhandled by her mother as she sulked like a petulant child, that I knew this lunch was going to be every bit as crazy as I had expected it to be.

"Would you like another mug?" A male voice politely offered.

"Yes, please." Without taking my eyes off the mother and daughter pair, I absently held out my tea mug before me and nodded towards the two, "Are they always like this?"

"Who? Aiko and Kara?" He asked, setting the kettle back down on the table after he finished refilling my mug. At my nod, he shrugged, "Pretty much. Why, is it really that odd?"

"No, it's not. It's just..." I searched for the word as I turned to face the man, "unexpected."

Hyoudou Ichirou, Karasuba's and Issei's father, looked exactly like I remembered him from the school visit. A slim man that bordered on being gangly, with a scruffy overall look. Even when he was resting at home on his day off he still wore a pair of slacks and a shirt with the top two buttons undone, the very same type of clothing he had worn at school, though he had apparently decided to forgo the tie and jacket.

It was clear that he hadn't bothered to brush his hair this morning as it was a tangled bird's nest of a mess, and on his chin he still had the scruffy patch of hair that was trying really hard to be a beard but was failing miserably. And just like how I remembered he only had a single arm, the left sleeve of his shirt hanging limply by his side, empty.

Warm brown eyes, so different than those of his daughter's, peered at me from behind his frames, twinkling with amusement as if he knew exactly what I thinking, a tiny smile sitting on his lips.

"Ah, that I can understand." He gave me a knowing nod and turned to look at his daughter where she sat on the stool by the kitchen counter with a fond look. "Our Kara does like to give the impression of being larger than life, doesn't she? You'd never think she was so young after meeting her. But nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that she is still very much a child; no matter how hard she pretends to be otherwise, she's barely even sixteen."

He inclined his head towards her, "And just like any other sixteen year old, she believes she's full grown and can take on the entire world, but pit her against her own mother and you'll find that there is nothing she can do."

Karasuba must have heard him because she shot her father a glare out of the corner of her eye, but Ichirou just raised his own mug up to his lips in response, hiding the smirk he was wearing, though there was no hiding the amusement dancing in his eyes.

Watching them behave like this, this ordinary domestic scene of a regular family, I was hit with the strangest sense of vertigo. It was the same kind of disorientation I got when I fell asleep in one place only to find myself waking up in another.

Turning back to Karasuba, I decided to heed Ichirou's words and focused all of my attention on Karasuba and looked at her, and I mean really looked at her, without any preconceptions or expectations to cloud my judgement.

And I think that may have been the first time I truly understood just how young she really was.

She was a child.

I had forgotten that she was only sixteen, younger than me, younger than even Sona, closer to Shirone's age than anything. I think she might have even been younger than I was when I first stumbled into the Holy Grail War, and though it was only a few short years ago, looking back even I had to admit I was a child back then. And watching her scowling at her mother as she treated her cut, the truth of that statement had never hit me harder than it did now.

How had I missed it?

When had I stopped viewing Karasuba as a child, like I did with Sona, Kiba, Shirone and the others? At what point had I stopped thinking of her as a young girl and started to think of her as...as…I'm not even sure what. A killer, maybe, there was no doubt she was that, but at the same time I thought of her as something both more, and less, than human.

I think this was the first time I had thought of her as a teenage girl, along with all the emotional baggage that comes with that.

It was a disorienting thought, to say the least. The image I had built up in my mind and what I was seeing before me were clashing badly, and I found myself spending the next few minutes watching her squirm under her mother's touch while I quietly mulled over that thought, occasionally taking a sip from my tea as I allowed the revelation to completely sink in.

The kitchen we were all situated in was widely spaced, far bigger than you'd expect a household of only four to have. Even with the table taking up space in the middle of the kitchen, there was plenty of space for all of us to move around without feeling the slightest bit crowded.

We were both at the kitchen table, Ichirou and I, seated across from one another. A first-aid kit was laid open over the counter on the other side of the kitchen as Hyoudou Aiko, Karasuba's mother, plucked a band-aid from its contents before returning to fuss over her daughter like a distraught mother hen. Karasuba, on the other hand, had been forced to sit on a tiny stool set beside the counter, all but squirming in her seat as she begrudgingly allowed her mother to continue her ministrations.

And had it been anyone else I would have sworn that the frown she was wearing as she waited for her mother to finish looked suspiciously like a pout.

"There, that should to do it." Aiko stated as she finished placing the last strip of band-aid on the cut, using her hold on her daughter's chin to turn her head from side to side, examining the treated wound with a critical eye. "Not my prettiest work, I admit, but I suppose it will have to do. You'll still look like you took a bat to the head, but at least you won't be dripping your blood on the carpet as you bleed yourself to death anymore."

"Finally!" Pushing herself free and away from her mother, Karasuba stood up and stretched. "I thought that you'd never finish."

Aiko snorted as she began packing up the first aid kit, already turning away from her daughter. "If it bothers you that much then you should stop getting hurt. Or even better, just stop getting into fights entirely." The middle-aged mother of two shook her head in dismay before turning to glare at her husband. "This is all your fault, you know."

"Mine?" Ichirou's eyebrows shot up at the accusation while he held his hand up in surrender, though that smile still sat easily on his lips. "What did I do?"

"You were the one who went ahead and signed her up for those Kendo lessons." Aiko declared while pointing an accusing finger at him before turning to finish packing up the kit. "I always knew signing my baby up for those Kendo lessons when she was younger was a bad idea, I just knew it. What kind of proper girl goes around learning how to swing a sword these days, but I just had to let you talk me into it. 'She'll be fine,' you said, 'it will teach her discipline,' you promised, and now look what happened. My poor baby getting into street fights, coming home roughed up every other week, covered in cuts and bruises and who knows what else. I warned you teaching her how to fight was a bad idea, I warned you."

"Honey," Ichirou stated soothingly, "you know as well as I do that the Kendo lessons have nothing to do with this. Kara has been getting into fights since long before we ever began sending her there."

"I know!" Aiko wailed. "Which is why I wanted to sign her up for ballet classes instead!"

My thoughts actually screeched to a halt as I pictured Karasuba dressed up in a pink leotard and tutu, before I quickly shook the image away from mind. I had enough shocking revelations for one day as it is, and I didn't need anymore. I was already tempted to drop everything and rush back to the Underworld, buy a crate full of beer and look for Asia to see if she wanted to get smashed together.

Ichirou sent me a sly smile as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, and found it every bit as absurd as I did, before turning back to his wife. "Honey, even back then we both knew how badly that would have ended up if we'd tried that."

"I know," she replied, skulking over the counter, "but I can dream, can't I?"

Hyoudou Aiko was of average height for a middle-aged Japanese woman, which basically meant she was tiny. She wore her brown hair long and tied up in a low ponytail that reached to the middle of her shoulder blades. She also had a rather youthful face, free of wrinkles except for what might have been the beginning of crow's feet at the edge of her eyes.

All in all, she looked more similar to Karasuba than her husband did but not by much. There were some noticeable similarities between them, especially in their facial structures and cheek bones, but their builds, heights and, of course, the colours of their eyes and hair were completely different.

"And as for you, young lady." Setting both her hands on her hips, Aiko spun to look up at her daughter with a disapproving frown. "I thought we agreed that you wouldn't get into fights anymore."

"This time it wasn't my fault, I swear." Karasuba held up both hands in surrender, once again wearing her trademarked smile, though now that I had met her parents I couldn't help but compare her reaction to her father's. "I was minding my own business when some gang members were following me around, and when I confronted them they tried to recruit me."

"And why couldn't you just say no and leave?" Her mother asked resignedly, already knowing how her daughter would answer.

"Mom, trust me." Karasuba's lips quirked up further. "People like that don't take no for an answer. You need to use force to make sure the message gets through to them."

"Kara, honey." Aiko's voice turned pleading, her concern obvious as she looked up at her daughter. "You know I don't like it when you get into fights. What if you get seriously hurt one day?"

Yes, because it was obviously Karasuba we had to worry about getting hurt.

"Mom, I'll be fine." The grey-haired girl's smile dimmed slightly at her mother's obvious worry. "The old monkey trained me too well for me to lose to anyone. You have nothing to worry about, you'll see."

Aiko stared pleadingly up at her daughter for a few moments before she slumped in resignation. "Why couldn't you pick a safer hobby like your brother did?"

Karasuba's eyebrows shot up at that, both her eyes opening to reveal their grey irises as she stared at mother incredulously. "You mean you want me to take up sitting in my room and watching porn all day as a hobby?" Her nose crunched up in distaste at the thought.

"What!? No!" Aiko almost jumped in shock before shaking her head venomously in denial. "Dear me, no, I never want you to do that. What I meant was that occult thing he took an interest in recently. Issei is really into it now, joined a club and everything. He even ended up going on the field trip with the rest of his club mates. I know it might not be a very productive hobby, but at least I don't have to worry about him returning home beaten half to death every time he leaves the house." At the reminder of the danger her daughter puts herself in, Aiko slumped her head in exhaustion.

"I swear, Kara, you'll end up giving me a heart-attack one...of..these...days..." Aiko trailed off, her brows furrowing as she stared at something on the floor, frown returning in full force.

"….Kara," she spoke up a minute later, her tone casual, still not taking her eyes off the floor, "why aren't you wearing any shoes?"

Ah, that's right, I'd forgotten about that. Karasuba had ended up walking home barefoot, having tossed her shoes in a dumpster we passed on our way.

Explaining away the blood splatter on her clothes was one thing. She could always claim most of it as her own. Her shoes, however, were totally a different matter. The soles of her shoes were covered with so much blood that they were dyed completely red, and I don't think any explanation she could have given them would have stopped her parents from thinking that she had walked through a pool of blood.

Which, incidentally, she had.

Her original plan had been to sneak into the house undetected and slip on a pair of house-slippers without anyone noticing, but with her mother waiting to greet her by the door that plan was shot to hell straight off the bat.

"I lost them." Karasuba answered with a shrug and an easy smile, the lie coming readily to her lips.

"Lost them?" Aiko was shooting her daughter a dubious look, clearly not buying the explanation. "You lost your own shoes?" Fisting both her hands on her hips, Aiko sent a stern look at the taller girl. "Hyoudou Karasuba, do you honestly expect me to believe that?"

She gave another shrug, smile not faltering. "It's the truth."

"Kara, now you be truthful with me, I promise I won't be angry." This time Aiko's face was filled with concern. "Are you being bullied?

I have no idea how I managed not to spit out the mouthful of tea I was sipping but somehow I did, though I had to clamp a hand over my mouth to hold back the hysterical need to laugh. Across from me, Ichirou wasn't doing much better but unlike me he didn't even bother to hide his amusement and snickered lightly.

"No, I'm not being bullied." Karasuba shot the both of us a quick glare before turning to reassure her mother. "I honestly lost my shoes in a fight."

"Now don't lie to me young lady. It may have been a while but I still remember my high-school days and how bullies would steal a girl's shoes from her locker. Oh, God." Aiko turned pale. "Why didn't I see it sooner? The cuts, bruises and now missing shoes, you're not getting into fights, you're being bullied! It all makes so much sense." Aiko buried her face in her hands. "Oh, I'm such a horrible mother. My little girl is being bullied and I didn't even notice."

"Mom!" Karasuba cut in before her mother could go on. "I told you I'm not being bullied. I promise I'm not."

"You sure?" Aiko peeked up from her hands to look at daughter with concern. At Karasuba's firm nod she lifted her face, obviously still suspicious but willing to relent for now. "Well, okay. If you say so. But if you are being bullied tell me," She thumped a fist on her chest, "Mama will handle it."

The idea of Aiko walking up to school and wailing at the student body to stop bullying her little baby Karasuba was such a ludicrous image that I found myself holding back the urge to glance around the room for the Mad Hatter, just to make sure that I hadn't fallen down the rabbit hole at some point and didn't noticed.

"Mom," Karasuba sent me another warning look, though the hint of red dusting her cheeks ruined the effect, "there is no one bulling me, I swear. Now will you please stop worrying and drop it?"

"But I can't help it, honey." Aiko reached up to brush a strand of her daughter's hair. "You always were such a crybaby when you were younger. You even kept running away from home for a while."

"Once! I did that once. Will you let it go already?"

"Honey, leave her be." Ichirou spoke up, cutting into the conversation. "Kara will be fine. You know what she's like; I doubt there is anyone willing to bully her."

Aiko heaved a big sigh. "Maybe you're right." But a moment later she got a gleam in her eyes and spun around to face me.

"Emiya." I found myself being the focus of an extremely overprotective mother. "You'll tell me if my daughter is being in bullied in school, won't you?"

"Of course." I promised sincerely. Of course I'd probably be running away from whatever was scary enough to bully Karasuba, but I'll be sure to tell her on my way out of town.

"Good." Aiko nodded, satisfied, before facing he daughter again. "Now you, young lady, are going to your room upstairs to get cleaned up."

Karasuba looked taken aback by the command. "Why?"

"Because you're filthy." Aiko answered promptly, before taking her daughter by the hand and leading her outside of the kitchen and up the stairs. "And you're not eating on my table looking like that. You're going to take a shower and change into a clean set of clothes."

"But I took a shower this morning," Karasuba tried to argue back, "only like three hours ago."

"And you're taking another one now. You've already bled all over my kitchen, I'm not going to let you ruin my-"

A door slammed shut somewhere upstairs, muffling the rest of the conversation. And with the two women of the household gone, I was left alone in the kitchen with Hyoudou Ichirou.

He sat across the table from me, his eyes narrowed in amusement, bringing out the crow's feet on his face, with an easy smile sitting on his lips. He watched me over the rim of the mug as he held it by his mouth.

"So..." I began, searching my mind for a topic to talk about. "You're the one who got Karasuba into Kendo?"

"You could say that." His lips quirked up as if he saw through my attempt at breaking the ice and gave a tiny shrug. "Though it would be better to say it was Kara who forced me to send her to those lesson. She always did have a fascination with swords."

"And the one who taught her to use a sword, 'the old monkey' she was talking about, who is he?" I asked, partly out of curiosity and partly to dig up a little more information on Karasuba's past. I was beginning to realise how little I knew about her.

Ichirou snorted, amused by something I said, and shook his head. "Oh no, Sun-Sensei wasn't the one who taught her how to use the sword, they met up far too late for that, so he just taught her how to fight. I think he ended up taking Kara as a student back when she was... nine I believe nine, while Karasuba started studying Kendo when she was five." He set the mug down on the table, smile never leaving his face. "She had been calling him a monkey since the first time they met, and though he complains about the lack of respect she shows him, I think old Sun is secretly pleased with the nickname."

"I see," I said as I took another swallow from my tea. That was actually a little surprising. From my experience most Japanese or Asian martial arts instructors tended to be rather strict. I couldn't imagine one of them ever allowing their students to call them a monkey unless they were really laid back. Well, either that, or they really were a-

I froze mid-sip as a thought hit me.

He said that Karasuba had been studying under him since she was nine...wasn't that the same age that Karasuba began disappearing from the city? No, not just the city, Sona said that she had dropped off from the face of the earth. And with the resources of the Sitri Clan to help here with the search, there was no way that was possible unless someone with supernatural abilities had been helping her remain hidden.

That actually matches up with what I already know about Karasuba. She was too familiar with her Sacred Gear, Touki and magic for her not to have been entrenched in the supernatural side of the world for years. And if my guess is right, this 'Sun' Sensei was the one responsible for teaching her about it.

As I began to piece things together, I was hit by another suspicion, one so shocking that I almost dropped my mug.

"Old monkey," I began casually, "is a rather interesting nickname."

Setting the mug on the table, I focused my attention on the man before me, observing him carefully and watching for any signs of deception. "How did she come up with it? Was it supposed to be some comment on his looks, or was the nickname supposed to be taken more...literally?"

It had been bugging me from the start. How had the Khaos Brigade or even 'Sun' discovered Karasuba in the first place?

Her magic levels were abysmal. It had been so low that, like the case had been with Issei, it made her virtually undetectable to the traditional means of locating Sacred Gear users. She had been hidden from Devils so well that we didn't even know of her existence until a few days ago despite both Sona, Gremory and any other Devils who had wandered here before them scouring the city for Sacred Gear users.

While the Fallen Angels could be explained through Azazel, the man's obsession with Sacred Gears was legendary and it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to believe that he had created his own method to detect Sacred Gear users, but the same couldn't be said for anyone else.

So how had they discovered Karasuba?

The answer was simple, they had done it the same way we did: through Senjutsu.

It was Shirone that had discovered Issei, who first noticed Karasuba wandering the school's halls. She was a Nekoshou, one of the last survivors of a race famed for their prodigious ability to wield Senjutsu, and it was through that skill she was able to sense the presence of a dragon in the school's halls, taste Ddraig's breath lingering on Issei's flesh, sense his might hidden in Karasuba's soul.

And back then Shirone had been unwilling to use her Senjutsu, repressing it. Through force of will alone she had forced it dormant, yet even in its inactive state she had still been able to sense Ddraig's presence. If someone untrained in Senjutsu, who had abandoned and repressed that ability, was able to sense their presences from nearby, then what would a master be able to do?

How far would a person who had not only been born with the ability to wield Senjutsu, but had actively trained in the art to the point of mastery, be able to cast their senses? How far away would they need to be to notice the presence of a Dragon lingering nearby?

If the Khaos Brigade had a Senjutsu practitioner in their midst then it would have explain why they've found Karasuba now. The fall of Kokabiel had drawn the eyes of many of the Supernatural community to this city, and my presence, along with Sona's and Gremory's, made sure those eyes lingered here. It would only have taken a little bit of bad luck for the Khaos Brigade to have sensed a Dragon wandering in its streets.

As for 'Sun', I had my suspicion on who he might have been. If he had discovered Karasuba as a child, possibly at a time when she had just discovered her Sacred Gear, then he must have been a Senjutsu user of some renown.

And the most famous Senjutsu user in the world just happened to be a Youkai, a sage with the power to match the Heavens, the Monkey King _Sun Wukong_.

What were the odds that Karasuba's instructor just happened to share the same name as him?

Ichirou just lifted his mug to his lips, smile not wavering, saying nothing as he peered at me over the rim with narrowed eyes that twinkled with hidden merriment.

Despite his reaction, or perhaps it would be better to be call it a lack of one, I felt the certainty of my suspicion build, and I knew that I needed to confirm it one way or another. So, trusting my instincts, I decided to take a chance and gamble.

Holding the mug in my left hand, I brought my empty right one up before me. Holding it palm up, I started to project onto it. I didn't rush the projection and went slow, making sure to let him know that it was no trick or slight of hand. I allowed my projection to build from the ground up, giving him a chance to see how a mug, identical in every way to the one I was holding my other hand, began to form on my palm.

It took five full seconds to complete, the lime-blue lights that were a by-product of my magic dancing in the air, but by the time I was done there was a perfect copy of the mug sitting in my hand where once there was none.

And all I received in response was the lazy opening of his eyes as he focused their attention on the projection.

"Neat trick." He commented mildly, his warm brown eyes studying the replica with interest, his tone holding neither shock nor bewilderment, just a sense of mild curiosity.

I felt my heart freeze with dread.

There could be no doubt. He knew about magic. Hyoudou Ichirou was aware of the supernatural.

No, it wasn't just him, they all were. Karasuba, Aiko, every member of Hyoudou household was aware. Why else would they have allowed their daughter of nine to be taught by the Monkey King? What else would have convinced Aiko, as doting and overprotective a mother as I have ever known, to allow her only daughter to be taken away from her for most of a year unless she knew why it was so important for her to have proper training?

Once again, for the second time in a single hour, I came to the startling conclusion that somehow, everything we had presumed about Karasuba was wrong. Worse, everything we had presumed about the Hyoudou family was wrong as well.

We were being played.

We weren't the ones hiding the secrets of the supernatural from the Hyoudous, there were the ones hiding secrets from _us,_ and we've been falling for it the entire time. They've known for years and we are only just discovering this now.

Dismissing the projection, I set my hand down on the table and tried to calm my ragging emotions down while my mind raced through dozens of thoughts.

We screwed up, we had screwed up badly. Sona, Gremory and every single Devil who was supposed to watching this city had completely and utterly messed up. How did we miss this? How did all of us miss this? The entire Hyoudou family was involved with the supernatural and not a single one of us had so much as a clue.

From the corner of my eyes I caught sight of something, and the sight of it was enough to bring even my racing thoughts to a halt.

"What's that?" I asked.

Ichirou glanced around in confusion. "What's what?"

"That." I pointed through the doorway that linked the kitchen to the living room.

"Hmm," Ichirou quirked an eyebrow once he noticed what I was looking at. "You could spot that from all the way over here? My, that's impressive." He turned back to look at me with a lazy smile and his eyes narrowed shut again. "You must have really good eyes, Emiya."

Ignoring his words I stood up, pushing myself off the chair and striding forward toward the living room, never taking my eyes off the object that had captured my attention.

Like the kitchen, the living room of the Hyoudou residence was large and spacious, with more than enough room to hold a family of four. The entire room had a cosy feel to it, with warm coloured wallpaper and comfortable furniture. A bookshelf sat in one corner of the room with a television set nearby. Along one of the walls was an empty fire-place, one crafted for decorative reasons rather than use.

And there, sitting on the mantle of the fireplace, was a photograph.

Three smiling faces, grinning eagerly up at me through the camera as if they could see me through the lens. They were children, only five or six years old at most, their faces and fingers covered in paint, staining their clothing and making a complete mess of things, but going by the open joy and laughter on their faces, none of them cared.

They were standing together in a line in the middle of a living room, the middle child hooking her arms around the necks of the other two, dragging their heads next to hers as she beamed at the camera. Her hair was such a peculiar shade of orange that even though she wore it short then, I still had no trouble identifying her despite her age.

Shidou Irina. One of the Exorcists that had came along with Xenovia looking for the stolen swords a couple of months earlier. But as unexpected it was to see a picture of her here, it was the other two children that had drawn more of my attention.

Their hair was such a matching shade of brown that it was immediately obvious that they were related. They shared so many similar traits, eyes, skin, height, they even had the same smile, they were such mirror reflections of each other that no one would have trouble identifying them as siblings. The only real difference was their hair, one had theirs cut short while the other wore it long.

To think that the Hyoudou twins had once looked so much alike.

What had happened? Why had her once brown hair changed to the ashen grey she had now? She hadn't dyed it, that much was certain, and going by her twin's still brown hair it wasn't genetic. Was it stress? But that wouldn't explain why her eyes had changed colour as well, for the colours of the eyes that peered back at me through the photo were of the warmest shade of brown.

Something nagged at me from the back of my mind, a feeling, an absolute certainty that I had seen something like this before.

It was then that I caught sight of my hair, reflected on the glass panel protecting the photograph. More specifically, it was the strip of pure white hair in the midst of my otherwise red locks that had drawn my eyes.

I remembered then of another man who was born with a head full of hair every bit as red as my own. I recalled what became of it, the bleached white strands that had lost all colour, leaving no hint of crimson behind, along with skin that had darkened as it had been baked under a harsh sun and eyes, that once shone like pure gold, fading until they became a dull iron grey.

The fate of a man who poured so much magic through his body that it burned him from the inside out.

If that had happened to a fully grown man, then what would it do to a child? What would channelling something as potent as the Boosted Gear do to a young girl just shy of her tenth birthday? Would her skin eventually blacken and burn? Would her hair fade? And would the colour bleed out of her eyes until nothing but emotionless grey remained?

Looking at how Karasuba appeared as a child, I believed I had my answer.

But as interesting as they were, it wasn't Karasuba, Issei or even Irina that had caught my eye. It was what had been mounted on the wall behind them that drew me to the picture. They had hung it up like a painting, over an empty fireplace similar to the one I was standing in front of, the splendour of the sword obvious even through the decade old photograph.

An Excalibur fragment.

If I had any doubts remaining that the Hyoudou had been aware of the supernatural for years then they were all washed away with this one picture. They had a photograph of one of most valuable Holy Swords in the history of this world set up on their living room mantle for all to see.

"I see you've taken a liking this picture." Ichirou walked up beside me and picked up the photograph, looking it over with a fond smile, "I have to admit, it's one of my favourites too. Things were so different back then."

He tapped his finger on Irina, "We took this photo in our old neighbour's house before they moved away. Kara and Issei used to love heading over next door to play with their kid. But that was a long while back; little Irina sure has grown and isn't so little any more. I still remember when she was this high," He held up a hand to his waist, "so tiny that I could carry her in a single arm. Them too," titling his chin to the photo, "hard to believe the kids that I used to cradle in my arms, or who made me look under their beds for monsters every night have grown to become as tall as I am."

"They looked like they got along." I commented, a little surprised. With the evident terror Issei held for his twin, it obviously wasn't the case any longer.

"They did," Ichirou confessed with nod. His smile did dimmed slightly a little though and he sighed, "or at least they used to." He returned the photo back to its place on the mantle. "And that's life for you," his fingers lingered on the photo, tracing the smiles of his children. "Things change, and not always for the better."

"What happened?"

"...They grew up." A hint of old pain in his voice. Taking his hand off the photograph he turned and gave me a weary smile, eyes hidden behind his lids. "They used to be so close, practically inseparable when they were children. It got to the point that you'd never see one without the other nearby, as often the case was with twins. But as they grew older the differences between the two became apparent, and as more time passed those differences just grew until it drove them apart."

"Differences?" Tasting the word as I shot him a curious look. "What do you mean exactly?"

"Do you know what separates the extraordinary from the ordinary?" He asked, answering my question with another question. "It's not talent like most people would expect, or at least, it's not natural talent. If that were the case then every gifted child would grow up to be an equally gifted adult without fail, and that is surely not the case. What divides the extraordinary from the ordinary is something far more fundamental than talent."

"No," I spoke up when he drifted off, "I have no idea."

"It's how they see the world," he replied, a smile resting easy on his lips. "That's what separates the two. One looks at the world and sees only what he desires, while the other looks at the world and sees all the obstacles that stand between him and his desires, then begins searching for a way to reach it anyway."

He reached out to the picture again and this time laid his fingers on Issei's image.

"Issei...he's content," he began. "He is an ordinary boy with ordinary dreams, and he will hopefully one day grow old living an ordinary, if happy and fulfilling, life. And that's just fine." He shook his head. "You don't need to do anything extraordinary to become happy, just simple everyday things are enough to achieve that. Give him a good girl to love and that loves him in turn, a nice job that he enjoys, maybe even a kid or three to keep him busy and he'll end up happy. He's quite like his mother and me in that regard, content with the simple things in life."

"I don't think you could call someone who dreams of becoming a harem King one day 'ordinary'." I told him wryly. I had happened to hear Issei yell out his dream to the heavens on more than one occasion, in a voice so loud that I could hear it all the way across school.

"Ah, but that's the thing," he replied, humour colouring his voice. "Dreaming is all he does. Has he ever actually done anything to turn it into a reality? If my son was truly seriously in achieving his dream then why hasn't he taken any steps to make it come true? He would yell it from the rooftops, swear to every man, woman and child he knows that he will make it come true one day, and cover his bedroom wall with posters of women and imagine them in his harem, __but what has____he ____done to make it happen?__"He turned back to me and held his empty hand before him. "Nothing."

"For all of his proclamations, in the end he does nothing but wait and dream, pretending that one day the key of achieving his dream will magically fall from the sky and into his lap. Just like every other adolescent teenage boy his age does." Ichirou smiled. "And that's just fine. Even I dreamt of having several women after me when I was a boy. It is something we all do to some extent or another when we are younger, and it's precisely things like that which makes him so very ordinary."

Ichirou shook his head. "This might be a little bit cynical and rather crude of me to say, but in my experience most women tend to be attracted to power. Wealth, fame, or the more obvious physical sort of power, these are the things that can draw women to men. Gather enough of it and you might just be able to attract enough women to pull off a harem."

"But what has Issei done to gain that power? Nothing," he shrugged. "He just lives his life just like any ordinary teen does. He goes to school, plays with friends while leaving his homework to the last possible moment, and chases after any pretty girl that catches his eye, get shot down by said girl, and mopes around for a short while only to end chasing another pretty girl. A completely ordinary life, and that's just fine. There is nothing wrong with living an ordinary life, those wise enough to understand may even call it a blessing, but you can't expect to achieve an extraordinary dream by living so ordinarily.

"A child dreaming of the impossible is natural, something that everybody goes though. We call children like that normal or healthy. But when a child dreams of the impossible yet actively strives to achieve it anyway, that's what we call a prodigy."

"Harem King," Ichirou's smile widened just a bit as he said the title. "Such an extraordinary dream, a momentous goal to achieve when you take the facts of reality into consideration. But you cannot call Issei's dream anything more than a dream. You can't call it an ambition if he continues to live his life like he has. If he does, then that dream of his will turn into nothing more than an adolescent fantasy, something that will be remembered as a folly of youth."

__ "____To____ achieve the extraordinary, you can't allow yourself to be ordinary.__" Ichirou looked back to the picture, this time his focus was on his other child. "And Kara seemed to have instinctively understood this."

"I can never imagine Kara being content living an ordinary life." He's eyes lingered on his only daughter, brown eyes filled with an emotion that I could not readily identify. "Even back then as a child, it was clear to me that Kara would never settle with finding a good man, getting married, having children, starting a family. These ordinary, everyday type of happiness, they just weren't for her. She would never be satisfied with that kind of life.

"Karasuba, she was serious about her dream."

He turned to me again. "Despite what you might think of her, Emiya, as a child that girl loved the common joys and pleasures of life every bit as much as Issei did, or any other kid her age would. She wanted to hang out with her friends, play games with her brother, start up a game of tag with Irina, buy the latest video games or even head over to the park and join the other kids playing a soccer match. But even though she could have done those things whenever she wanted to, she chose to train instead."

Ichirou looked over my shoulder and pointed at something. "There." Without waiting for me turn to look he strolled forward, walking pasting me and stopping before a window. A small walled off garden could be seen beyond the window, and unlike how large the house was the garden was tiny, just a stretch of land, empty of everything save grass and a single tree.

"Over there," he pointed out the window, towards one corner of the garden, "that used to be where she would train before she outgrew it. I used to see her there almost every day, sometimes for hours at a time, swinging that bokken of hers." His lips quirked up a bit. "I never encouraged her to do it or even tried to guide her. That girl forced herself to train entirely on her own. Every morning, she'd wake up an hour earlier than everyone else and jog around the neighbourhood. She never even told us she planned on doing it, just woke up one day and decided to do it. I only ended up finding out by chance, I had spotted her running laps outside my window early one morning when I had trouble sleeping."

"That child understood that she needed to sacrifice the pleasures of everyday life if she ever wanted to accomplish her dream." He turned away from the garden and back to me. "And it is precisely that, the willingness to suffer today, and the day after, and the day after that, and many more after that one, it is that commitment which separates those who are ordinary from the extraordinary. They willingly throw themselves into the fire of ambition because they know that only by enduring the heat of its flame, by suffering through the pain of its touch, can they can reap its rewards.

"The hunger that burns in them would accept nothing less. And that, Emiya, was what drove those two apart. That in the end Kara was hungry enough to suffer for her dream while Issei," Ichirou shrugged, "just wasn't."

"And you honestly believe that she hates him over something like that?" I asked, a hint of skepticism colouring my voice. "Isn't that a little convoluted? Can't you be over thinking things? I would have imagined that she would have hated him for wanting to become a harem King, instead of not trying hard enough to become one."

"No," Ichirou shook his head firmly as he leaned back on the windowsill, using his arms to prop himself up. "I know my daughter, Emiya, and she is not the type of person to look down on someone for having a dream that is purely selfish. On the contrary, it might be the only thing left that she can still relate with her brother. After all, at heart, Kara is an inherently very selfish person too."

"So no, Emiya." He repeated, "She does not hate Issei for his dream. She hates him for not doing anything about it. She hates him for daring to be ordinary when she is so very not, hates him for being different than her, for not being like her. She has never forgiven him for that." Pushing himself off the sill, Ichirou made his way back to the mantle. "And I don't think she ever will."

Once again he picked up the photograph, his brown eyes taking in the sight of the three smiling children, of the pair of twins who were so happy being together. A moment in time that will never return again. "And that was what drove the two apart." Ichirou remained where he was, his eyes hidden by the light that reflected off the lenses of his glasses, not looking away from the picture of his children. "Tell me, Emiya, do you have a dream?"

I thought back to that night, all those years ago, bathed under the light of the full moon. Even after all this time that memory had not faded in the slightest, fresh and clear in my mind. The image of Kiritsugu smiling as he shut his eyes for the last time, relieved, finally allowing himself to rest. That night will remain with me forever, the ideals that were born then and my resolve to follow them until the end, they blazed within me as brightly as ever.

"Yes," I answered simply, unable to think of the words to convey what I truly meant, "I do."

"That's good." His smile looked a little forlorn as he continued gazing at the picture. "And have you done all you can to make it come true?"

I thought of all the training I had done since childhood, both magical and otherwise. The months I had to pester Kiritsugu until he finally relented and allowed me to learn a little bit of magic. My morning ritual of exercising for an hour before school to keep my body in shape, the late nights I had spent alone in my shed that doubled as my Workshop, practising my Magecraft. The Kendo sessions with Fuji-nee and the archery practice that followed after that in high school. I thought of all the extra studying I had to do after Rin and Ilya had come into my life, their determination to help me fill in all the gaps in my knowledge of Magecraft.

And with the exception of the last, all of that had happened long before I had ever even heard of the Holy Grail War.

"Yes," I answered again, knowing that I had, "I have."

"Then you too just might be like my Kara: extraordinary." He said, finally setting the photograph back to its proper place on the mantle. "It might have even been what drew her to you, a person that might be every bit as abnormal as she is."

With once final look at the photograph, Ichirou turned to fully face me. "Do you know what my dream is, Emiya?" He asked, smiling fondly at me with closed eyes. "It is a rather simple one, something that's not hard or even difficult to accomplish. What I want, all that I have ever wanted, is to see my children live a long and happy life." He held his hand open before him. "And that's it."

He shrugged, his smile turning a little sheepish. "I admit it might not quite as grandiose of a dream that my children have but to me, it is all I'll ever need. And it is for that reason that I'm about to tell you this, to make sure that little dream of mine will come true."

There was a thud over our heads, and we both glanced up to the ceiling only to hear the muffled sound of laughter coming from the floor above. I could hear Karasuba yell something out but all it did was cause the laughter to redouble.

"Kara, she's not as strong a person as she appears to be." He had a fond look on his face as he stared at the ceiling, no doubt imagining the antics his wife and daughter were up to. "For all the strength she exudes at times, she is just as much a human as you or I am."

"Even though I'm beginning to believe that there might be more to her than I ever expected," I admitted as I too turned to look at the ceiling, trying and failing to picture the same Karasuba that had fought the Khaos Brigade and had thoroughly terrified Sona as the same one I had seen in this house, "I still have trouble thinking of her as something as mundane as merely human."

"Ah," He nodded knowingly and lowered his head to give me an understanding smile. "That's because you only know her as she is now, not as she was. You, who have only seen Kara as she stands today, can never understand. I have known her since the day she was born, when she was so small that I could hold her whole body in one hand. I have seen her cry over a scraped knee, huddle by my side on the couch as we watched a scary movie on TV together, shake me awake from sleep after she had a nightmare. I have seen all these sides of her and more, wiped away her tears more times than you can ever imagine, so I know better than anyone just how fragile she really is."

"She bleeds, Emiya." He told me. "No differently than you or I do, she can get hurt and even cry just like anybody else." He snorted at an amusing thought. "More than Issei ever did."

He spared a quick glance up at the ceiling before giving me a mischievous smile, brown eyes twinkling behind his frames. "Don't tell her I told you this, but between the two, Kara was always the bigger crier. Even though she had always been something of tomboy she was still frightened of a lot of things as a child. Not any more, of course, but when she was around that age," he tilted his head towards the picture, "she was a timid, overly emotional girl, the definition of a scaredy cat. She used to have this old teddy bear that she refused to sleep without, used to take it everywhere." Ichirou scratched his chin and gained a thoughtful look. "I think I just might have that old thing lying around somewhere around here."

He seemed to be lost in thought for a moment before he shook his head. "Anyway, it may be because she's my only daughter, but you could say I have grown rather protective of Kara over the years, more so than even her brother. And even now, though I know she's grown and become far stronger than I ever was, I keep doing my best to make sure my little girl remains safe like I had done when she was only six."

Ichirou glanced up as another thud came from the floor above us, and I followed his gaze, staring at the white painted ceiling. "Which is why, Emiya, I think it would only be fair to let you know, that if ever you do anything to hurt her-

__I'll kill you.__

There was no bloodlust in the air, no sense of impending violence and even the words were softly spoken, a gentle promise rather than a harsh threat. Yet for all of its mildness I still felt the hair on the back of neck rise and adrenaline flood my veins as every instinct I had yelled out in warning.

But when I looked at him, he still looked exactly the same. Just a scruffy middle-aged man, relaxing in his home with his family, who was smiling kindly as he watched me with the warmest brown eyes I had ever seen. I almost believed that I had imagined the whole thing.

And yet, there was something about the unassuming man that made me absolutely certain that he was being serious. He really would try to kill me.

It was then that I remembered.

I had thought that he was an ordinary human, just a run of the mill white-collar worker. There were no calluses built up in his hand like Karasuba, his tiny magical reserves far too small for him to become a Magician, and the way he walked marked him as untrained in combat. But I was wrong, for no matter how inconspicuous he may have looked or ordinary he appeared to be, this man was not normal.

This was the Father of Dragons.

It looked like it was a mistake to think that Karasuba took after Aiko the most. It wasn't her mother that she resembled; it was her father.

"We're coming down." I heard Aiko call out, followed down by the sound of footsteps climbing down the stairs.

"Well, let's head back." Ichirou turned away and began to make his way back to the kitchen. "It's a little late but Aiko should start working on lunch now."

"One question." I called out, and he paused just as he was about to step over the entryway to the kitchen. He looked back at me over his shoulder. "Your arm, what happened to it?"

Ichirou gave me an indecipherable smile.

"A Dragon ate it."

* * *

"Your parents were nice."

"Hmm," Karasuba hummed vaguely by my side, not commenting either way as we made our way through the crowded street.

She had changed after her shower. A long sleeved shirt, stopping just short of her wrists, covered her top. It was coloured pitch black, and so were the knee length shorts she chose to wear. The only splashes of colour that could be spotted on her new outfit were the pair of white lines that ran down the front of her shirt and the brown leather belt buckled around her waist. A jacket, a dark grey a couple of shades darker than her hair, lay draped over her shoulders, its sleeves hanging empty by her sides.

Oddly enough, the clothes suited her somehow. She even appeared comfortable in them, they were almost form fitting and seemed to be easy to move in, in no way restricting her movements.

Karasuba was smiling, her usual benevolent grin sitting firmly on her lips while her eyes were narrowed so much they appeared to be shut. If I hadn't known any better, she would have looked like just another ordinary teenage girl wandering the city, one of thousands.

Or at least she would have if it wasn't for the overwhelming amount of bloodlust she was exuding.

The crowd parted before her without thinking. People were pressing themselves against each other to make room, creating a pocket of space with her in the centre, not even understanding why they did it, only that they unconsciously understood that they shouldn't get anywhere near the smiling teen that walked in their midst. Some people even went as far as to cross the street to avoid her, only to end up glancing around in bewilderment when they realised what they were doing.

It was like watching a completely different person than the one I had seen at that house. It wasn't like she had been putting up an act in front of her parents, her reactions had been far too natural not to be real, too fluid to be faked. I had felt genuine love and affection from her whenever I saw her interact with either one of her parents. Her father especially so. It was obvious that as well as she got along with Aiko, she was much closer to her father.

Though I hesitated labeling her a daddy's girl despite all of the evidence pointing in that direction because, well, quite frankly the idea of Karasuba being one was every bit as unbelievable as a cross-dressing Halo fanatic dhampir with a fetish for pink. But whoever that girl that allowed herself be dragged around by her mother was, she wasn't here anymore. The thing walking beside me was someone else entirely.

When I saw Aiko start preparing lunch, I naturally decided to lend a hand and help out...and I may have eventually ended up inadvertently kicking her out and taking over the kitchen. She had looked rather offended the entire time, which was understandable, and took to glaring sullenly at me through the kitchen door while I handled her kitchenware. She continued to do so right up until she took the first bite of my cooking. After that she began referring to me as Sensei.

Not long after the meal was over Karasuba and I had left the house, and no sooner than we had set foot outside of the house had she begun to emit this euphoric desire for bloodshed. It had started off small, only barely perceivable to my senses, but the further we walked from her home the more Karasuba reverted to how I knew her. Her steps grew longer, more silent and graceful, like a prowling animal and after only a few minutes her desire had became an all-encompassing presence that set people scurrying away like frightened roaches.

After my failed attempt to start up a conversation the remainder of the journey was spent in silence, neither of us having anything to say to each other as we leisurely making our way to our destination. It was only when we reached the park that the conversation resumed.

Karasuba hummed thoughtfully as she glanced around the park, taking it in. "So, is this it?"

"A little further on." I pointed at a grove of trees off to one side of the path. "Over there, behind those trees is a clearing. We can fight there."

Karasuba gave me a skeptical look, but eventually shrugged and obediently went towards the direction I indicated with me following close behind her. We soon reached then navigated past the trees, pushing through the branches and stepping over the roots breaking out of the ground. Though they weren't particularly big, the trees were so closely packed together they ended up forming a natural curtain, blocking the clearing that sat hidden behind them from the view of any causal observes. Which was preciously the reason why I chose the place.

Before long we broke through the trees and reached the clearing, a small pocket of open space surrounded by trees, no more than a dozen yards wide.

"Oh?" Karasuba paused at the edge of the magic circle, one eye opening as she took in the sapphire lines that were carved into the ground, forming a design so complex that no one short of an expert could have deciphered its meaning. She cocked her head to one side and crouched down, "What's this now?"

"Our ticket to the battlefield." Stepping around her I walked onto the circle. It wasn't very big, no more than six yards wide at most, but it was enough to do its job. Stopping once I was firmly in the middle of one half of the circle, I turned and pointed to the spot across from me. "We're almost there. Just stand there and we'll get going."

Karasuba remained crouched, her eyes half-opened as she scanned the ground, studying the circle carved into it. Her forefinger was drumming a steady rhythm on her knee, a contemplative expression on her face as she took everything in.

At long last she glanced up at me, giving me a searching look. For a brief instant she appeared to hesitate, a rare moment of indecisiveness holding her, only for her to smile and give an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders, her eyes crinkling shut once again. Pushing off her knees Karasuba unfolded herself, rising up to her full height before with an easy stride, she stepped over the edge of the circle.

I couldn't decide if she chose to step forward because she believed that this wasn't at trap, or if she decided that it didn't matter even if it was.

"Well Emiya." Karasuba smiled unnervingly at me from where she stood across the circle from me, arms crossed before her. "I'm waiting."

Almost everything had already been set up before hand, all I needed to do was get Karasuba into the boundary of the circle with me and all the preparations for our fight would be complete. With one last check to make sure everything was in place, I began to feed my Prana into the ground beneath me.

The magic circle came to life under our feet, I could feel it tugging on my magic, hungrily feeding on my Prana as it glowed with a dim sapphire light. Knowing I hadn't given it enough, I fed it more of my Para and the circle blazed up like a fire in response. Just like with the magic circle that had delivered me to my Rating Game match, I shut my eyes as the lights became too bright and patiently waited for it to dim down again. And when it finally did a couple of seconds later, I already knew what I'd find before I'd even opened my eyes.

"My," Karasuba breathed as she craned her head upwards, looking from left to right as she stared at the skyline, before she once more shifted her sights back onto me and gave a beatific smile. "You really bring me the best presents, Emiya."

The steel and buildings of the city's financial district towered over our heads, their peaks reaching towards the sky and blocking most of it from our sights. We stood in the middle of a wide intersection, one free of traffic or cars. Around us the traffic lights continued flipping their colours from green to red to green again aimlessly, not knowing that there was no one to heed their commands.

It felt strange being here, standing on what was supposed to be a busy road that now lay empty. There were supposed to be cars speeding by there, their drivers filling the air with the roar of their engines as they sped on by while taxi drivers prowled the street searching for wealthy customers. In a city that close to half a million souls called home, this was a place that was always busy. No matter the time of day it would be filled with the constant hustle and bustle of city life as people went about their business, but now it sat empty, had turned into a metaphorical ghost town without a single soul in sight save for the two of us.

But what struck me the most was the silence. It was not something you'd every expect to hear in a city, not when the sun was still up and shinning, and it was almost unsettling for how unnatural it felt.

Most people never seem to realise how rarely we ever heard true silence. Many probably have lived their lives never experiencing it. We are always surrounded by noise, constantly. Sometimes they are obvious; the hustle and bustle of a busy street, the chatter of a crowd, the ringing of telephones, feet thumping on the ground or the honking of car horns. Then there were the less obvious; the quite humming of an air-conditioner or a computer, the ticking of a clock, the swaying of leaves in the wind, the buzzing of insects, or even the sound of the person next to you breathing.

We block it out, the pandemonium of noise that always surrounds us, always seeking out attention. There was simply too much of it for us to constantly take in without being overwhelmed but it all, so we shut the noise out of minds and never really notice that it's always there. It's only now, when I'm standing in the streets of a dead city, do I finally realise how disconcerting absolute silence really is.

There was nothing alive here other than the two of us. Not people, not birds, not rats, not even a single bug. This was a ghost town, dead in every sense of the word. And in the middle of this lifeless concrete jungle, only Karasuba and I lived.

It was precisely that very reason which made this the perfect battleground for a rampaging Dragon.

Turning to said Dragon, I asked, "You understand the deal?"

"Yes." She laughed, one arm wrapping around her belly as she bent over slightly and looked up at me through the bangs of her hair. "Are you sure that's really all you want?" Her eyes were dancing with genuine amusement, "Only a single question? Nothing more? I would have given up a lot more for the chance to kill you."

"Yes, that's all I want." I began to move away, clearing some space between the two of us for the fight. "From now until the sun sets you are free to attack me as much as you like, even kill me if you can managed it. I ordered my Peerage members waiting outside to let you leave unharmed should that happen. But if I win, I expect an answer, a full and proper one to any question I give you."

"If only I knew it was that easy I would have sent you a letter of challenge ages ago." Karasuba shook her head in either amusement or disbelief. "And you really need to learn how to bargain better Emiya. I would have given up a lot more if it meant I got to kill you."

"No," I corrected her. She blinked, surprise filling her expression as she tilted her head questioningly. "The deal was for us to fight, which means you only get to __try__ and kill me."

"You mean that there is a difference?" Karasuba asked in faux confusion, her smile teasing.

I didn't bother replying. There were a dozen or so yards between us now, more than enough room for either of us to manoeuvre. Dropping into my stance, I mentally prepared to project a-

I had to resist the urge to slap my hand over my face once I realised my mistake. "Karasuba," I began, embarrassment filling my voice that I had forgotten about such an obvious but essential matter that needed to be dealt with before we could fight. "Where's your sword?"

Karasuba's weapon of choice, the nodachi, was nowhere to be seen. I hadn't realised on our way here but Karasuba hadn't been carrying her weapon with her when she left her home, and I could almost feel my cheeks heat up at forgetting to bring it up.

I was about to offer to project her a copy of her sword when she spoke up.

"It's right here."

She raised her left hand up and held it open by her side, palm facing the sky. I saw a flicker of movement coming from the middle of her palm, the skin there bulging as something beneath it's surface pushed upward, trying to force it's way free. Her skin parted under the pressure and a blade tip emerged from the opening, piercing through her flesh.

More of the naked blade began to emerge, drawn steadily upwards from her hand. When several feet of steel stood above her palm a hilt finally followed after the blade, the skin stretching almost grotesquely to make room. Once the bottom of the nodachi pushed its way free from the confines of her hand, skin sealing shut behind it, the sword began to tilt before falling over. But before it could travel far Karasuba snatched the sword out of the air and held it down by her side.

I stared in incomprehension for a few second, trying to make sense at what I had just seen. It wasn't a spell. Even if Karasuba had the Mana reserves to pull it off I would have sensed it happening. And it certainly wasn't some variation of Touki, that's for sure. But if that were the case, then the only thing left that it could be was her Sacred Gear.

__That's right__, I've forgotten but the Boosted Gear had a minor secondary ability in addition to its ability to double its user power. When properly mastered the Boosted Gear could be used as a storage device, it had some kind of internal dimensional pocket and several of its previous wielder's were said to have stored their weapon in it.

But where was the Boosted Gear?

"It's internalized, isn't it?" I theorised, knowing that I had seen something like this recently. The feeling I was getting from Karasuba was similar to what I had gotten from Georg, though nowhere near as potent. Unlike with the inhuman empty shell that the Magician had become Karasuba still felt almost entirely human to my senses. Though something had definitely changed inside of her, it was subtle enough that I might not have noticed the difference if I hadn't been focusing. "This is your Balance Breaker, a Sub-Species. Instead of the scales of a Dragon, you have their flesh."

"That's right," Karasuba looked down at her left arm. "I never saw the need for armour. Scales that can deflect all but the strongest attacks is all well and good but to me, a weapon that doesn't help you kill is not a real weapon. So I traded defence for offence, in place of the impenetrable hide of a dragon to protect my life, I have their almighty strength to strike my foes down with instead."

"But you can't use it, can you?" There was no way a human body could handle that much power, not if they wished to remain human anyway. Had she tried channelling any more than the smallest fraction of a Dragon's power through her human body she would have deteriorated under the strain.

"Afraid not." Karasuba freely admitted with an easy shrug of her shoulders, not at all concerned with revealing a potential weakness. "I can feel it killing me even with the minuscule amount I am capable of handling. Ddraig offered to turn me fully into a Dragon to fix that little problem but I turned him down. As tempting as it is, there are still some things I need to do and I can only do them if I'm human. Maybe later when I'm done I'll take him up on his offer but for now, I'll just have to make do."

"Besides," she reached up and pushed aside her bangs, "it's not all bad. Even the little bit I can use has its uses."

It took me a moment to realise what she was getting at, to notice what had happened to the wound that Heracles had given her, but when I did I immediately understood. At some point Karasuba must have removed the band-aids her mother had used to treat the wound because there was now nothing there but a thin pink line just beneath her hairline, barely noticeable, all that remained of her injury. It's only been a couple of hours but it already looked like it was entirely healed.

"Not quite instant regeneration," Karasuba let the bangs fall back over her face, "but you wouldn't believe how useful it can be at times."

"Oh, I think I can imagine." I replied, thinking about my own knack with regeneration. I had long lost count of the number of times Avalon had ended up saving my life, or from losing a limb, during the Holy Grail War alone and that's not mentioning everything that happened since.

There was a shift in the atmosphere, the kind of feeling you'd get walking into a cold room after a hot day out in the sun, a wordless signal that our conversation had come to an end. Karasuba's lids began to open fully, revealing her grey eyes while her smile gained a feral edge, her sword now gripped in both hands and held in a ready position before her.

Widening my stance a little, I held my hands empty by my side, ready to project a blade at a moment's notice. I found that it always made it harder for an enemy to break through my defence when they didn't know what weapon I would be wielding. It was a small trick but an effective one, one that I learned to use to my advantage.

Honestly though for all the power she held, and she had a remarkable amount for a human who hadn't even reached her second decade of life, in my mind the outcome of this fight was already determined. The raw physical abilities between us made sure of that. I had seen what she was capable of in her fight against the Khaos Brigade, and while impressive I could say with certainly that I was both far faster and far stronger than she was. Even if she managed to draw out more power from her Sacred Gear I doubted it would ever be enough to bridge the gap.

This was a fight where one combatant had an overwhelming physical advantage over the other, it was a situation that I was all to familiar with but for once I wasn't the one with the disadvantage. After so many years of fighting opponents who were both faster, stronger and more talented than me, it felt kind of weird to be on the other end of things for a change.

In sword's skills alone I was confident I could match her even without the use of my Noble Phantasms, but at the same time I had no intention of not taking her seriously. Had this been an ordinary fight it would have been easy, I could have ended it as soon as it began. Just overwhelmed her straight from the start without giving her a chance to boost and it would be over. The critical flaw of the Boosted Gear had always been the time it needed to gather its power, and the first few seconds of a fight has always left it's wielders vulnerable to attack. But my goal had never been to kill her, just stop her, and that tiny difference made this a whole lot more difficult.

I had known from the very beginning, before I even left the Underworld, that a fight between Karasuba and me was unavoidable. She was simply too fixated on fighting me, to the point she had been willing to throw herself on Gàe Bolg's tip if it meant getting to me. I had barely been able to avert a disaster by the skin of my teeth then, and I doubted I would continue to be so fortunate the next time.

So no, it was better to give her what she wanted now in a place of my choosing, a place where I could minimize the damage, and hopefully get it out of her system. And by setting things up this way I would at least be able to get an important questioned answered in return.

__Who are you?__

Just who was Hyoudou Karasuba? Nothing I knew about her seemed to make sense. There were so many facts about her that straight-out contradicted one another. She was an outright battle junkie that didn't care about her own life but backed away from a fight with me when I pointed out that other people might get involved. She appeared to be a bloodthirsty killer but she didn't kill indiscriminately. I had read through the report Sona had collected on Karasuba and found, much to my surprise, that there had been no rise in homicides or unexplained deaths in the city whenever she visits. Mundane or otherwise. Until her run in with Khaos Brigade there were no signs that she had ever killed anyone before, not here in this city at least.

There was always so much bloodlust pouring out of her that you'd expect here to leave a trail of bodies behind her where she goes but she always appeared to restrain herself, holding herself back, terrifying people away but never actually hurting anybody.

Nothing seemed to fit. I felt as if I held all the pieces to one giant puzzle but I couldn't seem to bring them together. Almost as if I held the parts for two different puzzles rather one. Which is why I set things up this way. I wanted answers and the only way I could get them was through her.

That meant that I couldn't just take her out, I needed to wear her down, hold her back until the sun sets at which point our fight would finally come to an end. To me this would become a battle of mental endurance rather than physical. I had to maintain my focus through several hours of continuous combat, making sure to keep pulling back my strikes the entire time so I didn't accidentally kill her, and all the while Karasuba wouldn't be hampered by the same limitations. I had no doubt she'll gleefully come at me with everything she had.

Even with that hampering me I still had the advantage in this fight but that didn't mean I could slack off, a single mistake, just one slip up could cost me my life. And in battle, where seconds can feel like hours and minutes like days, sunset was a lifetime away. This was going to be one hell of an annoying fight.

Perhaps if the circumstances had been a little different I could have relaxed and savoured the challenged, maybe even had a little fun while I was at it, but with the amount of malice flooding the air I doubted that would be happening.

Whatever I had felt from her this morning it paled in comparison to this. It was as if the hours of waiting did nothing to calm her battle-lust. If anything it made it worse, like locking away a starving beast only makes it that much desperate to dig it's claws into its next prey.

It was a grin so maniacal and bloodthirsty, something you'd find only on a killer's face just as they claimed their latest victim, a sight that was no doubted that last thing many of Karasuba's opponents have seen on earth.

"I'm going to kill you," she promised politely, raising her sword over her head. And whether or not she would fulfill her promise, I had no doubt she was going to do her very best and try. And unlike last time, I didn't have a cursed spear pointed at her to keep her at bay.

Then with a howl of "Emiya!", Karasuba launched herself at me.

* * *

**_***Chapter end***_**

****Author's Notes: ****And that's it for the chapter – sorry for cutting it off right there but this is going to be a very important fight and I want to take the time to do it right rather than rush it. And since it might take me a few weeks to get it done (depending on my writing speed and how helpful my muse behaves) and I had all of this already ready and finished, I decided to post it for you to enjoy and mull over while I worked on the fight scene.

And I promise (this time I really mean it) that all the answers will be given in the next chapter, a lot of twits will be revealed and all of the mysterious solved as it will be the last chapter for the Karasuba character Arc. We'll be heading back to Underworld next and get to enjoy the madness that is the Rating Games.

I had fun writing Ichirou and Aiko. In the anime there was almost no information about Issei's parents, they were pretty much glossed aside despite most of the cast living in their home. Sad as that is, it did give me plenty of room to work with. And I hope you liked them.

And yes, Karasuba is a daddy's girl.

I know, it surprised to me too. Oh, as for Karasuba's Balance Breaker, the funny thing about it is it's actually weaker than Issei's Balance Breaker as it stands. Karasuba's body currently can't use it to it's full potential, if she was physically older and more matured she'd be able to utilize it better but in a still growing teenage body, she would have been better off with the armour. Then again, I can't imagine Karasuba ever wearing bulky armour.

****Note****: please remember the boosted Gear is limited to the amount of boosts it can give, while in theory it's infinity in practice it's limited by its host's body. A humans or even a Devil's body can't hold the strain of too many boosts. It's actually canon, it's the reason why Vali releases energy from his wings when he divides, he draw in too much power and needs to get rid of it because he's body can't handle it. In the Light Novel the author had to wave away this rule after the third volume to allow Issei to keep winning, but here that rule will hold true.

Well that's all I have to say for now. I'm working on the fight scene so look forward to it and, hopefully, it will be out soon.

Be sure to leave a review on your way out to let me know what you thought of the chapter and once again, thanks for reading and I hope you liked the chapter.


	22. Chapter 22: Blame Your God (part 3)

_**Author's Notes:**_

**At long last I got a chapter out. I'm sorry that it took so long but I had a hell of a couple of months. First I received a Job interview to what looked to be a great job, which I spent a week getting ready for. Then on my way back home from the interview I got into a car accident which wrecked my car (No one got hurt thankfully), only to spend a week dealing with the insurance because I had the accident in the middle of national holiday, only to then catch some kind of stomach flue, which left me cling to the toilet bowl for a couple of days as if it was the love of my life...But on the up side it turned out I go the job, so it turned out to be a Great month overall.**

**That's kinda why my stories stalled for so long, I was getting overwhelming at work learning everything that I just didn't have time to write. But luckily I'm getting used to things and hopefully would get more free time soon. Oh, and the chapter BALLOONED AGAIN! I had predicted the entire fight could be fished at around 18K-20K at MOST, maybe even as little as 15K, but now were at 30K and its still not done! _Sigh_, I suck at estimating my word count, soon that note never trust me if I ever give an estimable for a chapter's size, I'm probably wrong.**

**And this story's anniversary was just two months ago and I can't believe I couldn't get the chapter in time for it. But man, I have to admit I never expected the respond this story generate or if it that it would grow to be this popular. I honestly feared I won't get past 300 hundred favourites when I first typed it out, and how I'm over 3800 and still rising. Thank you all for helping make that happen.**

**And on that note, here is the latest chapter, I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

_Chapter 22: _

_Blame Your God (Part 3)_

Faster than most humans could dream of, she struck, her nodachi streaking toward my neck, aiming to separate my head from the rest of my body.

In response to her attack I projected a weapon of my own. A nodachi, in every way identical to that which threatened to decapitate me, formed into my hand. With the knowledge engraved into its blade I swung back at its twin, wielding it with all the skill she was bring to bear against me.

Karasuba's eyes widened briefly in surprise as she caught sight of the mirror image of her own sword but did not allow herself to falter. Her strike, an overhead blow that came down at an angle, continued unerringly to my neck while my own attack rose up to meet hers.

I watched as both our swords swiftly closed into one another before they clashed, the edge of her blade meeting the flat of own and-

_**[[[Boost!]]]**_

-sheering through it like butter.

I threw myself back as the sword tore through the space my neck had occupied just a moment ago, the tip of the sword skimming so close to my throat that I could feel on my skin as it passed. My dodge had left me momentarily off-balance and in the short amount of time it took me to regain my footing Karasuba was already on me.

Using the momentum of her missed strike to fuel her motion, she spun around in a full circle, her hair trailing behind her like a cape as she brought her sword up and over her head before driving it straight down towards my forehead.

Not bothering to block the strike, not after what happened last time, I dodged instead. Sidestepping to the left while pulling my right foot and shoulder back, Karasuba's blade found nothing but empty space as I moved out its path as she swung down.

Dismissing the now useless nodachi from my hands, the blade breaking down to sparks and scattering, I found myself dodging once again as Karasuba brought her sword back around in a followup attack. A flurry of slashing steel chased after me then as Karasuba refused to let me rest. She rained down endless strokes of her blade in an attempt to bisect me, all of which I evaded.

Swaying, ducking, sidestepping, I moved out of the way of her attacks, using my clear advantage in speed to keep ahead of her sharp blade. As Karasuba brought her sword around in another slash, I took the opportunity to study the blade as it passed through the spot my chest occupied a moment earlier before I leapt back.

It was fascinating. The sword itself hadn't changed at all, its structure and make exactly how they always were. It still was an ordinary, if brilliantly crafted, sword and there was no more magic in its steel than there had been a minute ago. And yet, somehow, without altering its construction, the edge of the sword had become sharper. Not two, not four, but eight times sharper.

_**[Boost!]**_

I was so captivated by the effect the Boosted Gear had on the blade that I barely notice as Karasuba tried to decapitate me again, my body automatically reacting and ducking in time despite her sudden increase in speed.

Correction, make that sixteen times sharper. No, wait, that wasn't quite right. The sword's edge didn't become sharper, the shape of its edge was exactly the same as it had always been. It would have been better to say its edge could _cut_ sixteen times better now. It almost reminded me of how Reinforcement-

_**[Boost!]**_

Without taking my eyes off the blade I absent-mindedly wove around another flurry of blows, three lightning-fast strikes that came slashing down at me so quickly that there was almost no gap in between, barely aware of doing so.

The small part of my mind still paying attention to my surroundings could have sworn that I heard Karasuba grow out in frustration but I immediately dismissed the thought as unimportant as I resumed studying the fascinating sword.

The effect of the Boosted Gear on the blade reminded me of how Reinforcement helped enhance a sword. It didn't just make the blade harder or more durable, it helped increase its efficiency in fulfilling its purpose. And a sword's purpose was to cut. So without altering its shape or sharpening its edge, the Boosted Gear enhanced the sword's ability to _cut_.

_**[Boost!]**_

Finished with my examination, I turned my attention back to the fight and projected Kanshou and Bakuya into my hands. As Karasuba's latest strike tried to split me from head to groin I crossed the married swords before me and blocked the strike.

"I get it now." I said with the nodachi's edge only inches away from my face, held back only by the might of the married swords. "That's why your Sacred Gear is affecting your sword as well as your body. The Boosted Gear doesn't increase its wielder's physical capabilities, it enhances their very nature instead. And in your mind you are not a 'woman' but a 'swordswoman'. To you, the sword is just as much a part of who you are as your own two arms and legs. So for the Boosted Gear to truly enhance you it must include your sword as well in its effects. That's the true nature of your Boosted Gear, isn't that righ..." I found myself drifting as I turned my eyes away from the blade to look at Karasuba only to find her...

...Was Karasuba pouting at me?

Yes, I realised with a stunned incredulity, Karasuba was in fact pouting at me. I blinked, then blinked again before I blurted out, "What?"

If anything, Karasuba's pout just grew more pronounced.

Karasuba continued to glare sullenly up at me through her bangs, our swords still held between us, their edges pushing against one another. She somehow managed to look almost childishly put off despite the current situation.

Finally with a sigh she shook her head resignedly before leaping back, clearing a wide space between us.

"Emiya," Karasuba enunciated, sounding so much like a parent reprimanding a particularly slow-witted child, "has anyone ever told you it's rude to ignore a girl when she's trying to kill you?"

"...No," I answered hesitantly, the question feeling slightly surreal, "I can't say anyone ever has." While Fuji-nee has called me thick-headed several times when it comes to a girl's feelings, I doubt this was what she meant.

"Ah," Karasuba nodded in comprehension. "That explains it. Well, it is." Karasuba removed her left hand from the hilt of her nodachi and laid it flat along its blade. "And here's why."

_**[Boost!] [Transfer.]**_

I felt Karasuba's energy spike, doubling in power once again, only for her power to be immediately cut in half as-

Strands of red hair drifted in the air, clipped straight off my scalp by the razor-sharp blade that now stretched from the hilt in Karasuba's hand to several meters behind me, passing straight through the space my head had been an instant earlier. The naked blade was lying flat against my skull, so close that I could feel the cold touch of its metal on my skin.

There had been no warning, no time for me to react. To my senses, the attack was all but instantaneous. By the time the word '_transfer_' had reached my ears it was already over, and I found myself with a ridiculously long blade next to my face, passing through the spot my head had been. If I hadn't shifted out of the way, hadn't trusted my instincts and stepped to one side, it would have pierced through my skull and I would have been left with over sixty meters of cold steel running through my brain.

From the other end of the now immensely long sword Karasuba bared her teeth at me, revealing so many teeth from between her lips that I couldn't call it a grin, and she finished delivering the rest of her warning. "_You just might end up losing your head_."

Grey eyes wide, her lips widened even further, revealing more teeth to my eyes, as she tightened her grip on the sword before, in one single motion, she twisted and swung. I ducked and the sword soared over my head, ruffling my hair. Its miss didn't cause the stroke to stop, however, and it continued to cleave through the rest of the street, indiscriminate in its destruction.

It bit into the grey post of the traffic light, not even slowing as it parted its hard metal with ease and sent the entire thing toppling over like a tree, before continuing to tear through the air until it reached the skyscraper that towered over the street.

Out of all the buildings surrounding us, this was a thing of glass and steel. One of the wonders of modern man, it towered above our heads, so high it appeared to touch the clouds. Its surface was smooth, completely covered with pristine glass that reflected the sky on its surface, staining the glass blue. Yet for all of its architectural design and the achievement of its construction, none of it meant a thing as the sword cleaved into its side and sliced through it as effortlessly as everything else.

Glass shattered, thousands of glittering shards flying through the air before they rained down on the street, showering onto the road like rain. The entire bottom row of windows erupted as the sword passed through them like a shock wave, slicing through metal and glass with equal ease. And the as blade ripped through the opposite end, leaving behind a ruined building where once stood an architectural art, I was left convinced that the only reason the skyscraper still stood was do to its width. Had it been any narrower, nothing would have saved it from being brought down entirely.

As the blade exited the side of the skyscraper it tore through a second traffic light, this one putting up no more resistance than the first, before the blade finally completed its swing. Its tip ended up behind Karasuba, the grey-haired girl having no trouble holding the now massive sword in her deceptively thin arms. The blade had left a semicircle of ruin about her, and there was a brief moment of silence before the final pieces of debris it bought about finished falling to the ground

One crash followed another as the toppled halves of the traffic lights crashed into the glass-covered road, the sound echoing through the streets like gunshots. They shattered as they hit the hard asphalt, sending more broken fragments of multicoloured glass to join into the mix already covering its surface.

"So," Karasuba began, her voice easily carrying in the quiet street as everything settled down, her tone light and conversational, "don't go ignoring me again and I won't have to resort to something like this to gain your attention. All right?"

"Fair enough." I replied as I rose up from my crouch, brushing off the glass pieces that had fallen on my head and shoulders.

"Good." Karasuba nodded, pleased. She spared a quick glance at her left arm before she smiled and looked back at me. "And since you seem so fascinated with my Sacred Gear, let me tell you that you're only half right. The Boosted Gear does enhance its target's nature, not its physical capabilities; that's why my weight and height don't double whenever I use it. _But~_," Karasuba's smile turned sly as she widened her feet and hunkered down, "if you know just what to do, you can select which aspects to boost. Like so."

_**[Boost!][Boost!][Boost!][Boost!][Boost!]**_

The blade shot out from behind her, growing exponentially with each boost until it stretched out towards the horizon. It's reach was so long now that it dwarfed even the tallest skyscrapers around us.

"The one thing you need to understand, Emiya," the smile Karasuba gave me was positively wicked, "is that when it comes to the Boosted Gear distance, scale, and size mean absolutely nothing." Then Karasuba spun, long hair tailing behind her as she swung the gigantic sword around.

This time the skyscrapers did fall. So did the towers, the buildings and everything else standing in sight. Nothing was spared as she cleaved it all in two.

It was like watching the world fall and the earth shook as _everything_ came tumbling down.

* * *

Dismissing my wings, the bat-like appendages folding along my back before they vanished, I allowed gravity to take hold of me and pull me to the ground. For a brief instant I fell from the sky, dropping like a stone, the wind buffeting my body while my eyes never stopped moving, searching for signs of another attack, before my fall was arrested as I landed on the side of a toppled-over skyscraper.

I had enough time to catch a quick glimpse of my reflection on the building's glass surface before impact. My legs flexed to absorb the force of the landing, the reinforced glass beneath my feet fracturing as it strained to bare my weight, a thin spider-web of cracks forming under each foot, but fortunately the glass managed to hold. Once I landed I found myself skidding down for a couple of feet until I found proper purchase on the smooth glass, the slanting surface of the building not helping.

As soon I found my balance I wasted no time dismissing my bow, knowing it wouldn't do me any good for now, and replaced it with the married swords, Kanshou and Bakuya, while my eyes never stopped scanning my surroundings. Despite not finding any signs of danger I did not lower my guard and stood ready, knowing that she'd be coming for me soon.

It was always hard to measure time in a fight. The adrenaline could play tricks with your mind, making the brief instants between sword strikes stretch out for an eternity or make entire exchanges feel like nothing more than a blink an eye. So it was hard for me to tell exactly how long we had been fighting but, if the position of the sun was anything to go by, it couldn't have been more than an hour, probably not even half that. And yet, in that tiny amount of time the entire landscape around me had changed.

When I scanned my surroundings, all that greeted my eyes was the scene of a ruined city. The damage was limited to an area of only a few miles wide, the financial district where our fight began at its epicentre, but what laid contained within the borders of that area was complete desolation. The once mighty structures that defined the city's financial district lay fallen, knocked over like a child's building blocks, their broken pieces scattered all about me. Nothing stood in the space that had become our battleground.

Even the skyscraper I stood on was no exception. It had once reached for the sky and rivaled the clouds in height but now, like everything else, it had been brought down. It might have even been the very same skyscraper that Karasuba had damaged at the start of our fight, the glass panels that covered its entire surface certainly looked familiar, but it was hard to tell with all the other buildings lying about it.

During its collapse it had ended up landing over another fallen structure, which ended up propping its form up and kept it from from collapsing completely onto the ground. Now its peak stood just a scant few dozen meters off the ground instead of the hundreds of its previous height. Yet despite this the scraper was by far the highest building in the area, for which reason I had chosen to land on it, as it offered the best view to search for my elusive opponent.

A full minute passed since I had taken root on the fallen skyscraper, and I failed to spot any signs of her. Soon a second uneventful minute passed, followed by a third and still there was no sign of an attack. The silence that gripped the air of the dead city was absolute, leaving me overcome with the sensation of being utterly alone in the ruins of this concrete jungle.

But despite the quite atmosphere I did not allow myself to be fooled and I never lowered my guard as I continued to scan the environment, patiently waiting for an attack that I knew was coming. In the brief exchanges earlier I had already gleaned some idea of Karasuba's style of fighting, and had already gotten used to this game of cat and mouse that she liked to play. Though I could find no sign of it I knew she was coming; the only question remained was whether I would spot her before she sprung her attack or after.

With the city so empty of other people, it should have been easy spotting another person anywhere in the city with my magical sense no where they hid. But, as I had quickly discovered ,my magical sense was all but useless for flushing her out. Karasuba had taken to deactivating the Boosted Gear whenever she disappeared from sight, reverting her magical levels to their original minuscule levels, leaving her invisible to my senses.

To compensate, I was forced to use my more mundane senses to find her. Reinforcing my eyes and ears, I searched the ruins, looking for any sign of my grey-haired opponent while I simultaneously focused on my hearing, listening for any noises that would point me to her. I looked both near and far, paying careful attention to the abandoned cars on the road below along with any rubble that she could be hiding behind, turning in place so that I could keep track of every direction. But so far I had spotted nothing, heard nothing, not even a squeak-

-_I moved._

The glass panel shattered as a hole appeared in its middle. There had been no time to think, my body instinctively reacting without command when I sensed a sudden flare of power coming from beneath my feet, and I leapt back.

I barely had time to think before I was forced to move again, leaping to the side the instant I set foot on the surface of the skyscraper as I sensed another spike in power. Again the glass panel that I had just occupied shattered, a hole boring though its middle.

I skimmed off the surface of the scraper, zigzagging left and right, never stopping as I moved, keeping ahead of the attack as panel after panel shattered soon after I set foot on them, kicking up a fountain of broken glass as something speared through it. I inevitably ended up leaving a trail of ruined glass behind me as I ran across the surface of the building.

Through it all my body was fully on automatic, my reflexes keeping me safe without needing any mental commands while my I turned my mind onto the source of the attack. Perhaps it was all the adrenaline coursing through my veins but to me time appeared to slow, crawling to a near halt, and what was supposed to be brief instances, no longer than the smallest fraction of a second, felt stretched out into a small eternity. It was like the flickering shutters of a camera, my mind capturing each one of these moments like pictures.

I leapt off another panel, moving backwards this time, the jump granting me a clear view of the trail of broken glass panels behind me. I turned my eyes to the panel I had just left, focusing all of my attention onto it as I tried to catch a proper glimpse of the attack.

But even with my heightened awareness that slowed time to a crawl, I barely saw anything at all. One instant the panel was whole, the next, it shattered as something shot past my face. Passing so close that it kicked up the bangs of my hair as it tore up to the sky.

I watched with a remarkable degree of clarity as the tiny shattered fragments of glass hung in the air before me, glittering like raindrops as they slowly spun, held up by invisible strings. And there, standing in between the shattered fragments, like a tiny pillar that held up the heavens from falling to the earth, was a narrow blade.

I found myself staring into a single golden pupil from barely a hands-width away, reflected off the polished steel blade, before it was simply gone. I found myself staring at nothing but glass and empty air as the blade retracted as quickly as it had appeared, leaving no trace it had ever been there. My foot landed on the next glass panel and I leapt to the side, the chase resuming as the nodachi's tip kept thrusting through the panels like the rapid fire of a machine gun.

Naturally I wasn't content to allow this to continue and even as I dodged the attacks, my mind raced with a dozen possible tactics that I could use to flush Karasuba out, trying to pick one that would lead to the best result. But before I could, the decision was taken out of my hands when the attack stopped.

It took me a second to realise that the attacks weren't actually coming and another to realise that it wasn't a trick. I skidded to halt, my shoes momentarily sliding on the smooth smooth surface of the scraper, and quickly tried to discover Karasuba's whereabouts with my senses before she could go back into hiding.

Turns out there was no need, as Karasuba ended up coming for me.

I felt another spike of power, this time coming from directly behind instead of from below, followed by the sound of a shattering glass window. I barely had time to turn my head around to catch a glance as Karasuba rose up through the glass, a wicked smile on her lips as she roared out "Emiya!" and cleaved down.

Flinging Kanshou and Bakuya to either side, I threw myself forward and spun, quickly conjuring another pair of swords in time to cross them and block the downward strike of her nodachi from splitting in me two. The force behind the blow pushed me back, sending me sliding across a smooth glass floor as my feet were unable to find any purchase.

That was just fine though. Things were going just how I wanted them to.

Even with the Boosted Gear augmenting her strength, and her _Touki_ adding even further weight behind her blow, I still retained the clear advantage in brute strength. Had I tried, I was certain I could have held my ground. All I had to do was dig my feet in a little and I would have brought her advance to halt.

But instead I allowed myself to be pushed back by the strike, and when she followed through with several more I pretended to be driven back by the onslaught of her blows, slowly leading her to where I wanted her to go.

What followed was a simple exchange of strikes, no additional effects from her Sacred Gear or any projections from my Magecraft, just an old-fashioned sword fight in which she tried her best to kill me while I did my best to lead her along. It was a tricky thing to do, getting the timing just right. I had to draw in at just the right pace; too fast and she would get suspicious and not follow me, too slow and I would miss my chance. Fortunately it seemed that Karasuba was more than happy to follow, her aggressive fighting style shining through as she eagerly leapt after every opening in my guard without a head for defence.

With Kanshou in my left hand, I interrupted the blow to my throat and reciprocated in kind with Bakuya in my right. Karasuba swayed out of the way, avoiding the attack with the smallest possible margin, the white sword passing so close that I imagined that I could feel the tip brushing against her throat, before she immediately thrust at my side. My own attack had left me slightly overbalanced, leaving a hole in my guard on my right side which Karasuba didn't fail to take advantage of. But before her thrust could pierce me it was knocked aside as Kanshou suddenly appeared in its path.

Seeing the chance, I took a single step back and swung at her wrist, which was still extended from her failed thrust. Instead of leaping back or guarding, Karasuba, as per usual with her overly-aggressive fighting style, pulled her sword up, once again barley avoiding losing an appendage, and brought it back down at my skull, using the same motion she used to avoid my attack to help set up her own. But before her sword was even halfway to reaching me, Kanshou was already there, waiting, and it deflected the nodachi aside while I used the opportunity to take another step back.

Again and again, the pattern repeated. I attacked, leaving an opening each time I did so, which Karasuba never failed to take advantage of, only to find the supposed opening in my guard blocked by one of my swords. And each time I blocked, I used it as a pretence to take another step back, steadily leading her step by step towards my goal.

It was an insane style of fighting, almost suicidal. Using the skills Archer had developed through countless hours of training, I deliberately left openings in my stance, holes in my guard that could be exploited, baiting her. And each time she tried to take advantage of those openings I was ready for her. The principle behind the style was simple, really: by leaving holes in my guard I would know exactly where my opponent would attack. And if I knew exactly where an attack was coming from, not only would I be able to guard against it but I could use that foreknowledge to create an opportunity to counter-attack. It was a reckless method of fighting, one where a single mistake could cost me my life. But in exchange for those risks, it was also a style that allowed me to match opponents both faster and stronger them me.

Karasuba however was neither of these things. In both speed and power I eclipsed her. And yet, despite not originally being intended for a situation like this, this style was a perfect counter for someone like Karasuba, who leapt at every lethal opening with blind abandon. Every time I left a deceptive hole in my guard, she would take it without hesitation, the thought of not doing so never crossing her mind. Thus, despite its risks, I chose to use this style because it allowed me to set the pace of the match.

Karasuba eventually noticed what I was doing, of course, there was no way she couldn't. There were simply too many flaws in my defence for her to brush them all aside as coincidence. Perhaps she might have let it go as an amateurish mistake born from overconfidence if she had actually managed to land a blow in or two, but after each strike was thoroughly deflected despite all the 'openings' she found, it was only a matter of time before she pieced it all together.

I could even tell the exact moment that it happened. Karasuba's eyes widened and she faltered in her attack, almost tripping over her feet. She glanced up at me, searching my face for confirmation of her suspicion and she found it. I could see the disbelief in her face change to awe, only to be replaced by something more manic. A euphoric grin stretched across her lips as she redoubled her attack, throwing herself at me with a renewed vigour as she all but hacked at the lethal opening I left her with glee.

Seems like she wholeheartedly approves of my method of fighting.

The battle carried on for the next several seconds as Karasuba kept driving me back, pushing me steadily closer to the edge of the skyscraper. It was then, when the edge of the battlefield was no more then ten yards behind me and at which point I would be forced either to learn to fight on air or to drop to the ground below, that I heard it. The near silent whirling that signaled their approach. It was a sound so quiet that, had I not been anticipating it, I would have almost certainly missed it, but it was most certainly there, and it was steadily growing louder as they closed in.

Never taking my eyes off Karasuba, lest I give the game away, I focused on the noise and mentally tried to predict the time and place that they would reach us. Unfortunately I discovered that I had been a little too eager in drawing Karasuba in, throwing off my timing just a smidge as it seemed that I was a couple of paces ahead from where I should have been.

Fortunately it was a problem easily remedied. When Karasuba came at me with her next strike I, instead of allowing myself to be driven back as I had so far, met her attack head on. I widened my stance as I crossed the black and white swords before me and outright blocked her strike, locking the nodachi in place while arresting the momentum of her charge, bringing her advance to a halt for the first time since the start of the fight.

Karasuba stared at me from the other side of the swords, a slightly bemused expression marring her face from the unexpected change in fighting method. That bemusement, however, was replaced with alarm in the next second as Karasuba noticed the sound of the whirling swords closing in on her.

I caught a quick glimpse of Karasuba's widening eyes before she ducked, dropping to the floor and just barely avoiding having her head shorn off by the original pair of Kanshou and Bakuya, the set of copies I had flung away at the beginning of the fight, as they were reunited at the spot her throat had occupied a heartbeat earlier. The spinning bright and dark metal discs clashed and rebounded off one another, ringing like bells, before they took off in opposite directions.

Kanshou and Bakuya, the married swords, fated to always be reunited with each other even should one or the other be lost. The bond of the husband and wife that birthed these swords drew them to one another, granting them a magnetic attraction so that one would always find the other.

When the married swords forced Karasuba to duck they created a break in the fight, a brief second of respite that was all the time I needed to begin my own counter-attack. I leapt back the instant Karasuba ducked under the swords and threw myself over the edge of the building and into the air, before I unfurled my wings and allowed the wind to carry me into the sky.

In the same instant I dismissed my swords, both sets of them, and projected a bow to take their place. Archer's metallic black bow filled my hands and, its weight familiar and reassuring, with a well-practised motion I pulled back until its string stood taught. I had wasted no time nocking an arrow, simply taking aim and releasing while projecting an arrow directly into the bow.

All of this I did in the same amount of time it took for someone to blink. And by the time Karasuba glanced up from her crouch, it was to find the first of my projectiles streaking towards her. She barely managed to react in time.

She dove to the side, throwing herself into a roll and out of harm's way, only to leap back and switch directions when she found herself in the path of another arrow. Again she was forced to back-pedal then dive to the side to avoid even more projectiles.

The situation was similar to how the exchange had begun earlier but only with our positions reversed. This time it was Karasuba who was forced to run and dodge as I barraged her with my attack, firing a rain of arrows from afar. She zigzagged left and right on the skyscraper's surface, retreating as she tried to put as much distance between us. She weaved, ducked and leapt out of the arrows' path, grey hair trailing behind her after every sudden turn and she almost appeared to be dancing as she dodged around the projectiles.

But despite her best efforts she couldn't avoid them all. I was too close, the distance between us was just too small to give her time to react while my shots came too fast, too rapidly for that to be possible. Without the need to nock an arrow every time I drew my bow, I could fire at what would have otherwise been an impossible rate and Karasuba simply could not keep up.

So those she could not avoid she simply cut down. Once again revealing her prodigal skill with the sword, Karasuba swung her blade in flurry of strikes, not even slowing her pace as she weaved and swayed to cut them down, striking the arrows mid-flight.

Yet it still wasn't enough. The sheer number I could fire was just too great and soon, despite her best efforts, several shots managed to get through her defence and score hits. They ripped through her clothing, revealing the soft flesh beneath, and left red lines on her skin with their passing, painful but not incapacitating cuts and gashes.

None of her injuries were fatal of course. I had no desire to see her dead, even if she didn't share that particular sentiment, so all of my shots were aimed away from anything potential lethal. Instead, I focused the majority of my arrows towards her limbs in an attempt to incapacitate her. She managed to avoid or block the worst of those but I still managed to score enough cuts and wounds to make it count.

In other circumstances those shallow cuts could have been brushed aside as inconsequential, as they bore no effect on the immediate outcome of the fight. But in a long battle as this one was turning out to be, it would make all the difference. The nicks and cuts would steadily begin to accumulate as the fight dragged on, and she would find herself slowed down, weakened as each of these tiny, seemingly inconsequential injuries slowly began taking a toll on her. And soon, she would find that each additional drop of blood she lost to those cuts was one she couldn't afford to pay.

After withstanding the hail of arrows for what must have probably seemed like a lifetime from her point of view, Karasuba finally reached cover. Retreating all the way back to the point where we started the fight, Karasuba threw herself into a large the hole in the glass panel, the one she had made on the surface of the skyscraper when she tried to ambush me.

Diving immediately into the hole Karasuba placed herself out of harm's way, protected from my arrows and hidden from my view as she hid herself within the protective interior of the skyscraper. A heartbeat after she disappeared from sight I felt her magical presence vanish as well, snuffed out like a candle's flame, leaving no sign of it behind. No doubt a result of her deactivating her Sacred Gear, and once again leaving me blind to her whereabouts.

Lowering my bow, I stared at the hole she'd disappeared into as I drifted in the air. As much as I would have loved to dive in after her, I didn't dare. Fighting Karasuba in an enclosed area would be a living nightmare. I had enough trouble at it was dodging her out in the open; trying to avoid those extending blades of hers inside a cramped corridor without room to manoeuvre would be beyond me, not without pulling out of one my more powerful Noble Phantasms or trying to cut her down before she had the chance to attack. Both things were something I'd rather avoid doing.

Besides, even if I went in after her I wasn't confident in my ability to find her. Karasuba seemed to have a certain knack for masking her presence that extended beyond her lack of magic. I'm not quite sure what exactly she was doing, but throughout the fight I never seemed to be able to spot her until she was practically on top of me, and I didn't relish the idea of trying to find her in the labyrinth that the building had probably become. It was probably the reason why she kept slipping in there. She was either hoping that I would chase in after her, or she knew I wouldn't dare follow and used it create a break whenever the fight wasn't her way.

Either way, going in after her certainly wasn't an option. And unless I was willing to bring the entire building down on her head and risk killing her, flushing her out wasn't viable either. That just left waiting her out again. Even after less than a full hour of fighting it became almost painfully clear that Karasuba, for all her cunning, wasn't exactly the most patient person out there. She never managed to resist the allure of battle for more than a handful of minutes before she came charging back in.

And so, resigning myself to another wait, I adjusted my wings and quickly began to glide back down to the ground. Outside of the simplest of manoeuvres I had absolutely no confidence in my ability to fly. Despite some genuine attempts to improve my flying skills since my reincarnation, I still found it difficult to navigate in the air and believed that I would always feel more comfortable with both feet on the ground. And besides, if I tried to fly and fight at the same time I'd probably end up breaking my neck by crashing face first into the side of a building.

So instead of risking getting myself killed in the most embarrassing way possible, I chose to land onto the side of what appeared to be an office building. It had toppled over alongside the skyscraper, practically touching it, and appeared to have far fewer windows on its white tiled exterior as it laid down flat on its side. It was also a good deal narrower and thus was a great deal closer to the ground than the skyscraper. Once I landed, I planned to settle down for another brief wait while Karasuba no doubt tried to spring another sneak attack on me.

Or at least, that was what I thought would happen.

It seemed that Karasuba was even less patient that I gave her credit for. I hadn't even made it to the office building when she came for me.

I was still drifting in the air, about a dozen yards away from landing, and I had my bow out and ready while I faced the skyscraper just in case anything happened. Which is why when I heard the sound of breaking glass coming from above my head and glanced up, I had the perfect view of a gleefully grinning Karasuba as she launched herself through the window and dove after me, glass scattering in her wake, sword held high over her head.

For all of my intentions to never lower my guard during the fight, the sight of a demented Karasuba descending at me like some kind Avenging Angel as she yelled out my name like a battle-cry was enough to catch me completely flat-footed, and I found myself freezing in place as I gaped up at her in bewilderment, with the only thought going through my head 'Oh Shit!'

As Karasuba fell from the sky she twisted in mid-air, tucking her knees into her chest while throwing herself in a forward spin. Head over heels she spun, sword still poised over her head. I noticed that her nodachi begin to elongate as she booted-

_** [Boost!]**_

-once-

_** [Boost!]**_

-twice-

_** [Boost!]**_

-thrice, each boost doubling her sword's length and by the time she completed her first full rotation and started on the her second, the blade had grown so long that it dug into the surface of the skyscraper, passing though it like water.

Dozens of panels shattered, sending glass fragments raining down after her as she fell. And still she didn't stop. She continued to spin, boosting her blade several times over during each rotation, making it grow exponentially in length until-

_**[Boost!][Boost!][Boost!][Boost!][Boost!][Boost!][Boost!]**_

"Oh Shit!" This time I yelled the words out loud as I dove to the side, using my wings to propel me away just as the massive sword fell from the sky and dropped down towards me. I heard the air screech like a bird as it passed me, the blade now so long that it seemed to span the length of the entire city. And I watched with a growing sense of incredulity as that sword went on to cleave the very city in two.

Concrete and steel split before its path, bringing further destruction to the buildings unfortunate enough to be caught on the blade's downward path. It struck the earth, cleaving through the asphalt-covered ground and steel pipes buried beneath as if they were not there, sinking deeply into the ground.

However, it didn't stop there and continued downwards, the blade continuing to sink deeper into the earth as its wielder's rotation continued carrying it through, burying itself into the crust of the earth. But as Karasuba continued her spin the blade began to rise up. This time it erupted from the earth from on the opposite side of the city, where it continued to cleave through everything in its path to the heavens as it soared up to sky.

_**[Cancel!]**_

The massive blade began to revert back to its natural form, shrinking in size and signalling the end of Karasuba's attack. The aftermath of said attack had left the replica of Kuoh city in ruins as a result of the line of devastation that literally ended up splitting the entire city in two.

Dismissing my wings, I fell the couple of feet and landed on the side of the fallen office building. Or at least, one half of said building, seeing as it was now cut down the middle into distinct halves. No sooner than my foot touched the ground, Karasuba dropped onto the other half of building. Her legs bent as she sunk down onto one knee while her nodachi, now reverted to its original length, sat snugly into her hand.

Behind her, the colossal top half of the skyscraper dropped from the sky, filling the entire backdrop with its bulk as it fell. The very earth shook as it landed, the vibrations rattling the entire building and travelling up my legs while the skyscraper appeared to explode. Like a dropped vase, the skyscraper's surface erupted as every glass panel covering it shattering in its fall.

The shock-wave it made was deafening, a force of air that was as much noise as it was wind and I found myself unable to hear a thing as I was caught in its embrace. Like a solid force I was buffeted by the air as it tried to knock me over, tugging on my clothes and hair. Across from me Karasuba remained unmoving in her crouch as her ponytail was pulled before her face from the blast.

Finally it was over, the sound dying down and leaving a welcome silence behind, one that was only broken by the tinkling sound of shattered glass as shards fell to the ground like drops of rain.

"…_huff_..._huff_..." Face soaked with sweat, hair plastered to her forehead, Karasuba remained kneeling on the ground, her exhaustion obvious as her shoulders rose and fell with every pant. For all the exuberance she challenged me with, it was clear that the battle was taking its toll on her. No matter how she pretended otherwise, the strain of channelling the Boosted Gear though her young body for any real length of time was simply too much, and the effects were beginning to show.

Karasuba tried to push herself to her feet but failed, her legs giving up on her before she was even halfway up and she tumbled down to her knees, sprawling on the floor and placing palms flat on the ground to stop herself from falling down completely.

Her hair fell around her like a curtain, blocking her face from view as she continued to pant on her hands and knees. It was beginning to look like I might have overestimated her abilities a bit. Despite her strong start she simply lacked the endurance to keep on fighting at this pace for long, and setting the deadline at sunset may have been a little too long.

Just as I was debating on whether I should cross over to the other side and check up on her, or just wait for her to recover, a peculiar noise captured my attention. Focusing on the sound, I realised that it was coming from the grey-haired girl before me. Karasuba's shoulders was shaking, not rising and falling, but trembling and behind the curtain of hair that hid her face from view, I could tell she had a hand clamped over her mouth.

Then, unexpectedly, she snorted, a sound that was a cross between a puff of air and a chuckle, before she broke down into a fit of laughter.

I watched, bemused, as Karasuba sat back on her legs and laughed. She wrapped one arm her belly, the other holding her sword down by her side, as she happily chortled without a care in the world, an oddly pleasant sounding noise coming from her.

After a time Karasuba's laughter finally dwindled as she calmed down, though her good mood did not diminish in the slightest as she turned to look up at me, her brow still plastered with her sweat soaked hair, and smiled. It was a light expression, both open and carefree in a way I would have never expected to see coming from the homicidal girl.

"Well," she began, her words coming out slow as she was still panting for breath, though her grey eyes were dancing from beneath her sweat0soaked hair, "wasn't that something?" She barely managed to get out before another fit of light laughter overtook her.

Still laughing, Karasuba gave another attempt at standing up, only to succeed this time. Pushing herself up on unsteady feet, legs swaying as they tried find their balance, Karasuba stretched and let out a loud groan.

"It's been so long I've almost forgotten how it feels to just cut loose. That's the downside of living here: everything is so _fragile_ that I always have to be careful where I'm going or what I do, or I just might end up accidentally snapping someone in two." Karasuba began to walk, her steps slow and stumbling at first but as she forced herself to keep moving they slowly began to grow more certain until she moved with all of her usual surety and grace. "Ah well, I guess that's just the price I have to pay."

Karasuba's feet took her towards the edge of the building and she ended up stopping right at its ledge, with the fallen skyscraper to her back. If she was in any way afraid of the drop before her Karasuba didn't show it. Instead, her profile appeared relaxed as she took one long, sweeping look over the view of city. After a moment she ripped her sight away from the vista and turned it towards her nodachi. Lifting the sword to her face, Karasuba's grey eyes opened completely as she carefully looked over the blade, only to crinkle shut again.

The once pristine steel of the nodachi's blade was ruined. Its keen edge lay broken, a serrated mess that more closely resembled that of a saw than a sword. Fractures spanned the length of the sword, distorting the reflection on the blade, from the width of hairlines to chinks so wide that I was astonished the thing didn't fall apart under its own weight right then and there. It was obvious to anyone that the sword wouldn't survive another swing.

"Ah," She commented, her good mood not dampening in the slightest at the sight of the ruined sword, "looks like this one is done for."

Giving her nodachi one final glance, Karasuba shrugged lightly before she carelessly lobbed the sword over her shoulder. Like a light-bulb hammered against an anvil, the blade shattered as it hit the ground, spilling so many broken pieces over the floor, leaving nothing but a hilt lying amidst the steel shards hinted to hint at its previous form.

A second nodachi already sat waiting in Karasuba's hands before the other had even hit the ground.

Once again, I was brought to mind of the similarities between the effects of the Boosted Gear and those of Reinforcement. Each boost enhanced the effectiveness of an object, making it more durable or sharper, but in return it put a certain amount of strain on the object. And just like with Reinforcement, if too much strain was put on an object it would break, which was precisely what happened to the nodachi. Unable to bear the accumulated strain of so many boosts, it shattered, crumbling into dust.

Just like the other three.

This was not the first time Karasuba had been forced to replace her sword during the fight. It was the fourth. All the others had shared a similar fate to the last one.

I had been confused at first why Karasuba's nodachi was so empty, why someone like her who so obviously hungered for battle lacked any history of combat engraved into the steel of her swords. But as the battle wore on and I saw how she was forced to replace her swords time and time again, I understood.

The reason why there was no history engraved into her sword was because none of her swords ever survived past the end of the fight. The effects of being boosted were too much for any of them to handle, and by a battle's end they ending up breaking under the strain to the last, forcing her to find a replacement after each fight.

"You know," Karasuba began as she turned back to take in the view of the city, her back facing towards me, "I love this town."

"Really?" I replied blandly as I followed her gaze and looked over the landscape of the city, "It doesn't look like it."

The heart of Kuoh city laid in ruins. Mile after mile of crumbling buildings lay fallen, forming a circle around us, and while most of the damage was confined to our immediate vicinity the rest of the city hadn't escaped unharmed. Like a fault line from an earthquake, a line of destruction ran through the city, stretching from horizon to horizon and splitting it in two. I didn't need to look back to know that line ran straight through the office building we stood on, dividing Karasuba from me.

_City-Killers_ – That was what Dragons were.

I had honestly thought Karasuba to be an exception to this rule. While I had believed her to be dangerous and I knew of the skill she possessed, I just could never quite bring myself to believe that Karasuba held the raw power required to pull it off. If I had to compare her to one of my blades, I would have placed her in the an anti-unit category rather than anti-fortress. I had believed that with the limitation of a human's body, one not even fully grown, she would never be able to channel the necessary power to bring down an entire city.

I had been wrong.

She used the Boosted Gears in ways I never imagined possible, wielded it with a skill that was beyond anything anyone else her age could have managed. Not even Kiba could manipulate his Sacred Gear with as much skill as she did. And now, as I looked over the aftermath of our brief exchange, I understood why Sona and Gremory were so keen on getting her out of the city. She really could wipe it off the map in a single night. As it was, the loss of life would have been catastrophic had this been the real Kuoh rather than a replica.

And we were only just beginning.

"But I do love this place." Karasuba replied, not bothering to look back at me as she continued to look over the view. The wind pulled on her hair, forcing grey strands to dance in the breeze. "This, this is where I grew up. Both my earliest and happiest memories are all here. Even if I haven't really been living here for a while, it doesn't change the fact that this town is my home. And there is no place I love more. Its just," Karasuba shrugged, back still facing me, "I love destroying it just as much."

"...Karasuba. That's not love." I told her plainly.

"No..." Karasuba shook her head, sounding oddly melancholic, grey hair swaying in the wind like waves, "...it is."

The tone of absolute sincerity I heard in her voice left me confused, and I found myself watching the grey-haired girl as she in turn watched over the city she claimed to love even as she brought it crumbling down.

"Do you know why Dragons live alone?" After a long wait, Karasuba finally spoke up, still not turning to look my way. "Why is it that every Dragon you find, whether in fairy tales or real life, they are always seem to be alone? Do you know why?" Karasuba didn't wait for me to answer, instead she waved an arm before her. "It is because of this."

Her wave encompassed the view of Kuoh, or more precisely, the demolished buildings that she had personally brought down.

"Dragons, they kill. They kill everything."

Karasuba's arm dropped back down to her side. "They are the only race in existence that live their entire lives alone, in complete solitude. They have no families, no clan, no tribes. They have no culture; how could they when they rarely meet outside of battle? They never build, so even if they do gather together they leave behind no cities, no monuments. They never create, only destroy, so they have no works of writing, no literature of their history. All they leave behind is death and destruction. Fire is their only creation, Desolation is their legacy.

"They are even born alone. No sooner than their eggs are laid are they abandoned. Left alone to hatch, expected to fend for themselves from their earliest hours of life, the first sight that newborns usually see is that of an empty cavern. Never knowing a mother's warmth or a father's pride, or even who their parents are. "Maybe that's why they can destroy without a care. What is the murder of a mother to one that had never known his own? The destruction of a home to someone that had never had one? What meaning does another's life hold to those who had no one to care for but themselves?

"Dragons are born alone, and they will die alone. Born into this world with nothing, they will leave it with nothing.

"And that's why," Karasuba spun to face me, the smile on her face was almost melancholic as she watched me with eyes half open, "this will be my final year here."

I blinked, thrown off both by the sudden change in topic and the change in her demeanour. Watching her now she appeared almost normal. "What is that supposed to mean? Your final year?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." Karasuba's smile grew just a tab bit wider as her eyes drifted shut. "After this year is over I'll be gone. And this time, I'm never coming back."

"I...I don't understand." I admitted cautiously. Why would she want to leave? From all I've seen Karasuba actually seems to enjoy living here.

"Of course you don't." Sounding more resigned by my incomprehension than sad, Karasuba shook her head, her empty, meaningless smile firmly back in place. "But you're not a Dragon, now are you?" With that cryptic statement she turned back to face the city and waved an arm towards it.

"Haven't you been listening?" Karasuba questioned, not looking my way. "Dragons, we kill. Our power, our very nature ensures it. Death follows us whereever we go, as surely as the light follows the rising sun. Whether we want it to or otherwise, it will happen. And we have no choice in the matter."

"You always have a choice Karasuba." I told her firmly, "No one is forcing you to fight or even to kill. It's not fate that decides whether you fight or not, its you. You could live a completely peaceful ordinary life in obscurity if you chose to."

"_Oh~?_" Karasuba spared me a mocking smile from over her shoulder. "Is that so?" She raised her nodachi and I tensed in response, fearing another attack, but I relaxed almost immediately when I found her pointing the weapon's tip away from me, towards something in the horizon. It was pointed towards a building on the other side of the city, a wide grand multi-story structure that stood out from the other structures around it like a palace. It took me a second to recognise it.

_Kuoh Academy._

"Then tell me Emiya Shirou," Karasuba lowered her weapon, "if I have so much control over my fate, then explain what happened then? Why had an army of Fallen so eager to reignite an ancient war descended on my city not two months prior?"

"What does that have to do with anything?" I asked, genuinely baffled. While it was true Kokabiel almost ended up starting a war, Karasuba was not involved at all. That Boosted Gear hadn't even factored into that near disaster. "What happened at the Academy had nothing to with you."

"Didn't it?" Karasuba quirked a brow as her smile turned sly. "Think on it Emiya, did it really have nothing to do with me?" She titled her head to one side, smile not fading. "Then how about the so-called 'Khaos Brigade', what about them? Did I have nothing to do with that either?"

"No. I can't deny that the reason why the Khaos Brigade came here was for you, but that wasn't your fault. Not directly anyway," I replied. "They were after the Boosted Gear. The moment they became aware of its existence they would have chased after it no matter what you did. It had nothing to do with you and everything to do with your Sacred Gear."

There was a silent moment as Karasuba looked down over the ledge at the city below, her back towards me. "...You still don't get it, do you?" Karasuba slowly shook her head as she gave a hallow sounding laugh. "You were so close but the answer went right over your head."

She turned away from the ledge and faced me while she still shaking her head in a mocking fashion. "Let's try this again shall we?"

Without looking, Karasuba pointed behind her at Kuoh Academy. "In that school alone there are over a dozen Devils attending, and that number only seems to grow with every passing year. And within a thirty mile radius from there are almost a hundred Devils, all housed within the city borders. That's more than any other city in all of Japan outside of the major metropolises. And they're not just your everyday Devils either, oh no, they are nothing so mundane as that. Among their number are royalty, Princesses of Hell, Kin to the Satans themselves. In no other place outside of Hell itself would you find so much prestige among Devils gather in one spot, and for some reason they decided to come here of all places."

Karasuba turned her arm and pointed towards the church, "And there. Until recently that church was nothing more than an old abandoned building. But ever since two years ago a flock of crows have begun to gather and make their nest there."

Karasuba began to approach me, steadily closing the gap between us with long, easy strides. "And let's not forget the Twelve-Winged Angel that paid us a visit so recently. Not even five of them left in all of existence and yet he saw fit to descend on Kuoh and grace us with his presence." Karasuba pointed to the sky with her sword. "And for the first time in almost a millennium we got to witness as one of God's mightiest creations waged war, right here, right over the skies of this fair city."

Karasuba halted in her tracks, her feet stopping right on the edge of the chasm that divided the building in two, stopping only a couple of yards away from me. "And then there is you." Her grey eyes bored into mine. "You who carry an entire battlefield with you wherever you go, a creature so twisted that even Dragons of old sneer at your very sight and name you _Abomination_. A being that by every right should not exist, and yet here you are standing before me, in the very same city I live in."

A mocking grin appeared on her lips. "Strange, don't you think?" Karasuba asked as she held her arms wide open. "That all of these creatures from both Heaven and Hell have all gathered in such a tiny little place? Whatever could have brought them all here, I wonder? Why, it's almost like something is drawing them all in."

"And that something is you?" I asked, cutting into the grey-haired girl's speech. "Are you telling me that they are all here because of you?

"Are you telling me they're not!" She yelled, suddenly angry, all signs of her previous aloofness fleeing before her rage. Her eyes gleamed with her boiling emotions as her voice echoed off the walls of the empty city. "Are you honestly going to pretend that I am not responsible for all of this?"

Karasuba glared at me across the gap, her grey eyes boring into mine, daring me to refute her, challenging me to claim otherwise...and maybe I might have imagined it but there might even have been a hint of pleading in them. And for the life of me I couldn't understand why it was there.

And at instant, despite her being only a couple of yards distant, so close that I could have stretched my out arm and touched her, Karasuba felt as if she was standing some place so very far away.

"When I was nine years old," Karasuba spoke slowly, pronouncing each syllable with care as if to make sure I understood every word, "this place was almost completely devoid of supernatural influence. There wasn't even a single Devil living anywhere for miles. Not a single one. But now, at sixteen, there are almost a hundred living within a stone's throw from my house, along with a host of other monsters. Do you think that they all gathered here by fucking chance?" Karasuba snarled, "That all of this is happening because of one fucked-up coincidence after the other?"

Karasuba glared at me from across the chasm, appearing so angry that I thought for a moment she may leap over the gap and attack me, only for her to suddenly slump, shoulders drooping as she deflated like a balloon, all the rage leaving her. "Think, Emiya," she pleaded, sounding every bit as tired as she appeared to be. "What is a Dragon?"

I was honestly baffled. The last few minutes had shown me a different side of Karasuba than I had expected to see here, and I had no idea what to think about it. Everything I knew about her told me she should have been attacking me non-stop, intending to cleave me in two, but here she was, using words rather than her sword. Still, despite the unexpectedness of it, it wasn't precisely an unwelcome development and I decided to do as she asked.

What was a Dragon? A Dragon is a supernatural being that traditionally takes the shape of a giant reptile with wings, though there are exceptions to this rule. They were also beings of potentially unimaginable power, considered to be the most powerful race in existence. While their strength may vary, even the weakest among their number were deadly, while the strongest were so powerful that not even the gods could match them. They are so powerful that it is said that their presence alone will attract-

My mind went blank as the realisation hit me like a bolt of lighting. "Oh..." I mouthed, feeling a little stunned as I began to piece everything together.

"Ah," Karasuba smiled sadly and leaned back. "So you finally get it now." She chuckled. "We Dragons will forever live in _oh_ so interesting times."

_'__Even in the few instances where they don't want to hurt anyone they still end up getting people killed. Power attracts more power, and there is no race more powerful than the Dragons.' _The words Gremory spoke from the meeting flashed through my mind, making me feel stupid for being so oblivious when the answer was staring me right in the face. _'Supernatural beings of all kinds will flock to her, drawn in by her power. Before long Kuoh will end up becoming a hotspot for supernatural disasters.'_

Both Sona and Gremory had warned me that just having a Dragon in the city will attract other supernatural creatures. But I wonder why neither of them had ever considered that _they_ might have been one of the supernatural beings attracted to her? That the entire reason why they moved to Kuoh years ago might have been because of the Dragon lurking within its streets?

Karasuba was here _first_, long before any of us arrived, when Kuoh was just another ordinary city. Kuoh only became a place filled with Devils only a few years earlier, _after_ Karasuba had awakened her Sacred Gear. We _knew_ that Ddraig's presence here would attract other powers, so why hadn't anyone suspected that _we_ were the intruders, that we ourselves were the danger the Dragon drew in?

"Power attracts more power," Karasuba spoke, confirming my thoughts. "That is the rule of this world. And there is nothing more powerful than a Dragon. And a Heavenly Dragon, well, that's almost as strong as you can get." Still smiling, Karasuba turned and walked away, heading back to the ledge. "That's the way it always has been. Those who carry the Boosted Gear are fated to live in interesting times as their very presence continues to attract trouble like flies to a corpse. Without a single exception they all shared that fate, dying under the bulk of the numberless monsters that came for them."

She paused once she reached the edge of the building, her face once again hidden from view as she looked over the city, leaving me only a glimpse of her back and her grey hair trailing behind her.

Only it wasn't grey, but chestnut brown.

In my mind's eye I saw her clearly then. Not what she had become but the little girl she had once been. A child, innocent as her brother and with hair every bit as brown, standing little more than waist high as she watched over her home from the building's edge. And for the first time, I was overcome with a wave of empathy for Karasuba.

What must it have been like growing up like that? Hunted by both Angels and Devils alike as they were drawn in by the scent of Ddraig's might, the promise of his strength residing within her soul? They came to this city looking for her, even as they didn't realise they were doing so. Unknowingly they came, brining danger along with them.

What must it have been like growing up with that knowledge? Knowing that every monster that stalked the street, that every Fallen that wandered the night looking for victims, that every Devil that corrupted a soul in the city, that all of them, every single one, were only there because of you? To a child of nine, what must it have felt like to realise that you were a danger to everything you knew and loved, just by being near them? What must have she felt when she found out the truth? Shock, disbelief, confusion, rage, fear?

_Despair?_

"They will come for me." Karasuba turned her head upwards, ignoring the city below in favour of watching the sky above, "And there is nothing I can do to stop them. I tried, believe me I tired, but it's no use. They just keep on coming. So what choice am I left with? If I stay I will end up being nothing but a danger to them." Her next words came out in a near silent whisper. "...And I can't have that, now can I?"

"Which is why..." Karasuba drifted off, pausing mid speech. She was still looking upwards, her eyes silently searching the sky for something that I couldn't see. After a minute of silence she spoke up, never taking her eyes away from the sky, voice soft but the conviction in it still clear to hear. "...I'll leave. Before my power grows too much, before I ruin everything, I will leave." Karasuba looked away from the sky and back towards me. Her eyes crinkling shut as a smile that had never looked so empty reappeared on her lips. "And this time, I'm never coming back."

In the empty city where only the two of us existed, a wind blew. Streaming through the abandoned streets and over rooftops, it buffeted us, setting our clothes to rustling as we stared across at one another.

Karasuba raised her sword and set it on her shoulder. "And since this will be my final year and all, I'll be sure to give them a proper goodbye."

"By them," I said, already having a pretty good idea of who she was talking about, "I take it you mean your parents?"

"That's right." She turned her head to one side and stare off into the distance, towards the residential district where we had just come from not an hour earlier. I didn't need to guess whose house she was looking at. "Like I said, this my final year, so I thought it's only proper that I give them a proper farewell. I'm graduating."

"Graduating?" I frowned, sending her a perplexed look. "But that doesn't make any sense. You're only sixtee-" It hit me before I could even finish speaking. "I see. So that's why you skipped a year. I thought it was strange that someone like you would do so well academically."

"Do I look like the type that would have my head stuck in book, Emiya?" Karasuba snorted, some of her usual self returning as she flashed me a smirk. Shaking her head, she carried on, "Academics, grades, math, history, I couldn't care less about any of that."

"Then why did you do it? It couldn't have been easy to work in all that studying along with your training."

She gave me a lazy shrug. "What else could I have done? What else can I offer them that they would want? They have no interest in the supernatural world or in power. They just wanted to live an ordinary life and start a family together. It was just their bad luck to have ended up with a child like me." Karasuba shook her head, sending her grey locks swaying. "What misfortune they had to have. Must have been born under an unlucky star or something."

Karasuba laughed bitterly. "For most of my life I've caused those two nothing but trouble, and now I'm about to up and disappear on them. Really, after all that the least I could do is suck it up and hit the books. I hated studying but every parent wants to see their kids graduate someday, right? As a daughter who has caused them nothing but suffering, I wanted to give them something nice to remember me by. To see their little girl graduate, my own little farewell present. One last fond memory before I disappear for good."

"Wait." I interrupted, catching something off about what she said. I thought back on Sona's reports and I realised what was bothering me, "That can't be right. You've been getting excellent grades for _years_, its the only reason why you were even allowed to skip a grade. But if you've only been doing so to make sure you graduated early then that means-" The look on her face stopped me cold and the realisation poured over me like a bucket of icy cold water.

"How long?" I asked, watching the weary smile that sat on her lips, something that had no place on someone so young. "How long have you been preparing for this?"

Her smile just grew a tad wider in return. And I knew the answer.

_From the very beginning._

She knew right from the very start, from a child of just nine, that she wouldn't be allowed to stay. That one day she would have to leave their side, and never return, and she has been preparing for it ever since.

Before I could think of anything to say, I found that the time for talking was over.

"Well, looks like I've stalled for long enough." Karasuba swiped her sword before her as she turned to me. "Let's pick up where we left off."

Karasuba's breathing had been evening out over the past few minutes as she used the opportunity to rest up while she spoke, and as of now there was not so much as a single sign remaining of her previous exhausted state. Not even the sweat remained. She looked fresh and ready for another round of fighting.

Normally it would have been impossible for a human to recover so thoroughly in just a few minutes, but I had a feeling the little recovery perk that her Sacred Gear granted her had a hand in it.

"One final question." I called out before she could attack.

Karasuba paused, halting mid-motion just as she was about to tense her legs and leap. She tilted her head as she watched me with her grey eyes, seeming to consider my request. After a moment she shrugged, eyes narrowing again as she smiled and lowered her blade.

Taking that as consent to ask, I quickly voiced the one question that had been plaguing me from the start. "What do you want?" When I only received a confused look in reply I elaborated. "From me. What do you want form me? What's the point in all of this?" I waved an arm around to indicate the battlefield. "I don't understand why you are doing all of this except that you came after me specifically. So what is it that you want from me? What are you hoping to gain from all of this?"

It was brief, gone so quickly that I almost could have sworn that I imagined the whole thing, but for a brief moment Karasuba seemed to hesitate, almost falter even, before she quickly pulled herself together and smiled.

"What do I want?" She chuckled as she flashed me a hungry grin. "Emiya, what makes you think I want anything out of you other than a good fight?"

"No." I shook my head. "If that was the only thing you wanted then there are other ways to get it. You had plenty of opportunities to seek out others to fight." Sona said that Karasuba was first spotted during the School Visit, and if that was true then it that meant she was in the school at the same time Sirzechs and Serafall were. And there is no way in hell she could have missed their presence. If it was powerful enemy she wanted, then she she had no reason not to go after them and yet, she came after me instead, completely ignoring the Lords of Hell as if they weren't worth her time. "You could have even provoked me into fighting you by attacking any of the other Devils in school. But you didn't, instead only came after me. You ignored everything and everyone else, no matter how strong they were, and fixed your sights on me alone. Which means you want something that only I can give you, something beyond a fight. So what is it I have that you want?"

"Emiya, you're not giving yourself enough credit." Her smirk grew wider, affording me a glimpse of her teeth. "There are not a lot of people that can give me a fight like you can. And as for _why_ I want to fight you. Well," she shrugged, "what other reason would I need to fight someone strong other than the thrill of the fight itself?"

And somehow, despite the bloodlust that started pouring our of her again, I knew her words to be a lie.

But she didn't give me a chance to argue, as in the next instant she leapt, clearing the gap between us and bringing her sword to bear against me.

And so our fight resumed.

* * *

I remember when I saw Servants fight for the first time.

_Inhuman_.

That was the thought which immediately came to my mind. Even had I not been a Magus, I would have known. Their movements were too fast, reactions beyond anything my mind could comprehend, for me to ever mistake them for human.

Ignorant as I had been then, watching them fight in my school's courtyard, an Archer in red and Lancer in blue, I knew that they were only _things_ in the form of a human. Anyone would have known; they were simply that different.

But most of all, I remembered feeling overwhelmed, helpless before their strength.

Sword strikes so fast that they left after-images, spear thrusts that appeared as nothing but blurs, my eyes unable to track them. I knew that I could not stand against them. Had I tried there I would have been cut down in a single strike. They were beings so beyond humanity that it was almost laughable to think one could stand up against them.

So I couldn't help but wonder, if anyone happened to walk into our fight like I had back then, would they be thinking the same thing about me?

Our blows rained against one another, the black and white of my Chinese swords and the grey of her blade left arcs of light in air as they streaked towards each other. The entire street was filled with the sound of the clashing of our weapons as we launched blow after blow in an unending storm of sharpened steel. Weaving, dodging and ducking under the other's strikes as we circled around each other, almost dancing as we retaliated with strikes of our own.

We flew down the street of a residential block, the city's financial center left long behind us over the course of the battle, never pausing for breath as we fought, leaving behind nothing but after-images in our wake. Neither one of was willing to relent in our charge. We launched attack after attack through the space between us, cutting down anything unlucky enough to have been caught in our path. The trail of bisected cars and fallen trees left behind us could attest to that.

Every strike and counter-strike that I found sent my way was one meant to kill, each a lethal blow. But in spite of that, despite knowing that a single slip up would end up costing me my life, I found myself enjoying the fight.

It was a rather startling revelation. I had never thought of combat as something fun before, just a means to an end, a tool I could use to save others. Fighting in and of itself had never been enjoyable for me. Perhaps it was another unintended side effect of my reincarnation, maybe it had to do with my recently discovered Pride, or maybe it was due to something else entirely, but as I found myself trading blows with the potentially sadistic grey haired girl across from me, pitting both my skill and metal against hers, I felt a thrill course through my veins and found that I was in fact having fun. And if the demented grin that was splitting her face was any indication, then Karasuba was too.

Had fights always been this exciting, or have I only just now begun to notice?

So caught up in exploring this train of thought was I that I failed to pay enough attention to my surroundings, and the distraction ended up costing me as I didn't notice the lamppost until I clipped it with my shoulder. With the speed we were travelling at that was no small thing. It set me spinning, almost knocking me completely off my feet and sending me skidding on the road before I managed to get my feet under me in time.

The entire thing was over and done with fast, in barely a fraction of a second, but for Karasuba it was more than enough. Never the type not to take advantage of every opportunity, she pounced.

Thinking fast I weaved around the lamppost, putting it between the both of us in the vain hope that it would slow her strike down. It didn't. Her sword ended up cutting through the metal post as easily as it had the air, forcing me to leap back to avoid the strike. But it still ended up doing the job as Karasuba was forced to divert her course and move around the base of the lamppost to get to me, stalling her for just the fraction of an instant I needed to fully regain my balance and put up a solid guard.

Seeing that the opportunity was lost, Karasuba aborted her charge and instead dropped down lower to the ground, widening her feet as she brought her weapon to bear before her, gripping it in both hands and leveling the tip straight towards me.

I didn't even need to wait for the spike of energy to tell me what was about to happen, having already experienced this particular attack too many times already. But this time, instead of going with my usual response to it, which was to dodge out of the way, I decided to try something different.

Letting Bakuya slip from my grasp and fall to ground, I bought my now free my hand to grip Kanshou, my right hand holding it by the hilt while the left was near the tip, gripping it by the back of the blade. I held the blade in front of me, flat side facing both Karasuba and me as I waited for her to launch her attack.

I didn't have to wait long, as I felt the now familiar spike of her power, the tell-tale signs of her upcoming attack. And as she transferred that power to her sword, I took note of where exactly her sword tip was pointed and carefully moved Kanshou so that it was positioned between me and projected path that I mentally predicted.

And this time when the blade elongated, travelling at speed I had no chance of reacting to, it didn't find flesh or empty air, but the forged steel of a Noble Phantasm blocking it's path. Using it like a shield, Kanshou held strong under the onslaught of the sword, showing no signs of the strain it was under as it blocked the attack. But I, on the other hand, did not fare quite as well. I had been expecting powerful force behind the thrust and had prepared for it accordingly by making sure I had proper footing and redoubling my grip on the blade. Now it seemed that I had underestimated the amount of force because, while I succeeded in maintaining my hold on Kanshou easily enough, my footing was a whole other matter and I was sent skidding back, feet dragging on the ground, head whip-lashing as the elongated sword pushed me away.

I must have traveled a good dozen meters before the sword reached its maximum length and I managed to bring myself to halt, skidding for a couple more feet as I bled off my momentum by digging my feet into the ground.

When I lowered my blade I found Karasuba starting at me with eyes wide with shock from up the street, and I had a pretty good idea why. Even though I had been knocked back a fair distance I had still managed to successfully block that thrust for the first time instead of just avoiding it. And if the look she was wearing was any indication, she must have never seen it happen before.

Soon though the stunned look was wiped off her face. "My, my." Karasuba grinned eagerly as she widened her stand even further, lowering her center of gravity closer to the ground and tightening her grip on her sword as she pointed it towards me. "You just keep getting more interesting, don't you Emiya?"

Again I felt a spike of power, and again I positioned Kanshou to take the brunt of the attack, successfully blocking it with its side.

But this time, it didn't stop with one.

The instant I had blocked the first blow, it was followed by another, and then another, and the next thing I knew I found myself faced with countless dozens of blows shooting towards me as Karasuba's sword extended and retracted like the piston of a car engine. It almost felt as if I was faced with a hail of bullets rather than thrusts from a single sword.

The smart thing to do would have been to dodge. Just evade her attacks by leaping to one side or the other and use my speed to keep ahead of her. Karasuba still needed to aim before she fired and that took time, too much time. In the time it took her to point the blade at me, tighten her grip to make sure the sword wouldn't get knocked out of her hand when she fired it and then flood it with the Boosted Gear's power, I would have already been gone.

It was how I had managed to keep ahead of this particular attack so far. And I would have had an easier time of evading it than standing my ground, that's for sure. Dodging would have been both the smarter and safer thing to do, so it was what I normally would have done. But if I did dodge, it would have also meant that I had to back down from Karasuba, and not because I had a plan or trap I wanted to set up, but because I couldn't face her onslaught head-on. And for some reason, a part of me seemed to rebel at the mere thought of backing down from Karasuba.

So I refused to.

Planting my feet, I stood my ground and met each and every one of her strikes head-on, blocking them all with the flat of Kanshou's blade.

Each blow was fast, unbelievably so, and all but instantaneous to my senses. Like grey streaks of light they leapt from her sword towards me, traveling too fast for the eye to see. Not even my keen eyes were able to track them. Had I tried to block them by reacting as I saw them coming I would have been skewered long ago; it just wasn't possible. So instead of trying to block the strikes after they were fired, I instead blocked them by predicting where they would land and placing Kanshou in its path before the attack even began. After all, no matter how fast something traveled, it couldn't outrace something that was already at the finish line.

My arms blurred as I set Kanshou in the path of each thrust, sparks erupting as the nodachi scraped along the its surface, hitting it with enough force that it sent the steel blade ringing with every blocked blow, reminding me of raindrops hitting on a tin roof. Again and again she tried to skewer me, firing a flurry of attacks in a hope that one would slip through my guard, and each time she tried it was only to find Kanshou waiting for her, barring her sword's path.

That was the flaw of her attack. While the speed at which her sword extended was beyond my ability to react to, she herself wasn't. Karasuba couldn't just fire her attacks at will, she needed to maintain a solid grip on her sword whenever she was about to fire lest the rebound knock it out of her hand, and every time she was getting ready to fire her power would spike, alerting me that an attack was about to launch.

My eyes kept perfect track of the nodachi's tip, following its every movement with ease. I blocked strike after strike, holding my ground as kept as I made sure to keep proper footing after what happened last time. I felt the strain in my arms and shoulders as each sudden impact on Kanshou threatened to rip the sword out of my hands, my muscles and tendons fighting to keep it in my grip. But despite it all I didn't relent and held firm, neither giving any ground nor falling back an inch.

Then without so much as a warning, the attack ended.

I hadn't noticed at first, my attention so entirely focused on the tip of her sword while I held Kanshou poised and ready as I waited for the next spike in power that would herald her next attack, that it must have taken me a good few seconds to realise that one wasn't coming.

Glancing up to see what had changed, I found Karasuba still standing in the same position she had held before. A wide stance, with one foot before the other, sword still pointed towards me with a hungry grin sitting on her face. For a moment I felt confused by what had caused her to stop, until I sensed the power building up inside of her.

Unlike the sharp spikes I had sensed from her before, this was different. It was a steady build up in power, and I could sense how she carefully gathered and shaped it inside of her before pushing it into the sword, demonstrating a level of finesse she had not shown so far. I could _see _the effects it had on her nodachi, its metal hardening, growing denser without changing its shape.

It was at this point that I felt my common sense take hold again as warning signs flashed through my mind, all but commanding me to dodge. It didn't take a genius to realise that whatever attack she was about to send my way would be on a whole other level from anything she had done so far, and standing in its way would be a pretty stupid thing to do.

With the far longer build up this attack was taking it gave me ample time to avoid it and by look of things, it didn't seem like Karasuba could move while she focused on gathering her power. All I had to do was move. Get out of the way or even use this opportunity to attack her while her defense was down, and I wouldn't have to weather whatever it is was she about to send me way.

And I was about to do it too. I had already tensed my legs in preparation for the leap even as I mentally charted the course I was to take, but that was all brought to a halt when I caught sight of her face.

Karasuba's grey eyes were smoldering with excitement, practically gleaming with an unholy light while her lips were set in hungry, tooth-baring grin. When she caught my eyes it quickly become clear she knew what I was thinking of doing because her grin quickly turned mocking, before she very deliberately quirked up an eyebrow, challenge obvious.

_Ah_, well, that changes everything.

All thoughts of fleeing disappeared from my mind as I settled down and began my own preparations to counter Karasuba's attack. Seeing that I was going to stand my ground Karasuba's grin turned excited again, something that I found myself mimicking.

Had I tired to run from the face of whatever Karasuba was about to send my way, then that would have been precisely what I would be doing, running away. And a part of me raged at the mere thought of running away, from anything, and especially from a girl three years my junior who only had a fraction of my strength at her disposal.

It was stupid. I knew it was. The part of my mind that I mentally had labeled as 'Archer' was pointing out the dozens of reasons why what I was doing was the height of stupidity in the most sarcastic manner imaginable. But I just couldn't seem to bring myself to care.

Besides, Sona did say I needed to exercise my Pride more often. And I had always thought pride was synonymous with stupidity.

I dug my feet into the ground, as in literally burying them into the asphalt of the road as I lifted one foot up before slamming it back down, then doing the same with other. Releasing my hold on Kanshou's tip, I instead moved my left arm behind the blade and set the flat of the sword against my forearm. I wouldn't be able to move the blade as fast this way but in exchange I would be able to put more weight behind it. I had the feeling I would need every bit of extra strength I could get.

Preparations complete, I looked up to Karasuba, and she must have been waiting for me to finish because the moment our eyes met she began her attack. Grinning manically, Karasuba thrust her sword forward as her power spiked once again. Karasuba hadn't tried to change the course of attack and aimed right at the dead center of my body, right in the path of where I had placed Kanshou ready and waiting.

I blocked the thrust.

And was sent flying.

The sheer force behind the thrust was immense, beyond anything I had imagined possible. My arms barely managed to keep Kanshou in place as I was sent _rocketing _back_, _hurtling through one end of the street to the other in less than the blink of an eye, feet digging trenches in the road's surface as I tried and failed to arrest my momentum while tearing through anything that happened to be in my way. Letters and envelopes exploded into the air around me as my slammed into, then through, something, and I caught a brief glimpse of a crumpled mailbox before I was sent hurtling away.

I fought against it, threw every ounce of weight I had in me against my sword even as I dug my feet further into the ground to gain more purchase as I tried to bring myself to a halt, but I didn't even manage to slow myself down, the earth breaking beneath my feet as I was driven further back. The sword just kept extending, neither bending nor breaking even as I strained against it, pushing with all of my-

-then the pressure on Kanshou disappeared.

Even without the nodachi propelling me I was still pushed back for several more meters before I managed to stop myself, my feet digging into the ground as the earth crumbled beneath them until I finally managed to bleed off enough momentum and skidded to a halt.

Despite being freed from the assault I found myself just standing there, panting lightly as my mind tried to process what had just happened. Giving my head a firm shake I slowly lifted Kanshou off my forearm and lowered it, winching slightly at sharp pain I felt coming from there. Without needing to look at the arm I knew that, superhuman toughness or not, I was going to find a bruise forming there. Still, it was nothing that a couple of minutes wouldn't fix, so after giving my arms a brief stretch and shaking the stiffness from them, I focused on the scene before me.

Looking ahead, past the twin trial of trenches that stretch from beneath my feet and ended at what must have a good three miles away, was Karasuba. She was panting, clearly exhausted from her last attack as she stood bent over double, sweat dripping off her brow. She only managed to keep standing by propping herself up on one knee with a single hand, while the other held her nodachi limply by her side.

The nodachi was already falling apart, crumbling like sand, and I watched as she loosened her grip and let the sword slip from her fingers to tumble to the ground and shatter. She had barely released the sword when a new one appeared in her hand to take its place.

"Yeah," I muttered as I pulled first my left, then my right leg free from where they were buried from the ground and set foot onto the paved road. "I'm never doing that again." I promised myself as I began to make my way froward, towards Karasuba, all the while doing my best to ignore that tiny little voice in my head that sounded like Serafall as it cheered, _'Again! Let's do it again, that was fun!'_

Giving my head another firm shake to displace that voice, I picked up my pace and hurried along while I seriously began to contemplate seeing a therapist one of these days. Goodness knows that I probably needed one even before I stared hearing all these voices in my head.

As I closed the distanced between Karasuba and me, walking in an unhurried, steady pace, I caught sight of something. Glancing down, I stared at Kanshou from where I gripped it in my right hand, frowning thoughtfully as I examined it. Lifting the blade up towards my face, I ran my eyes over its surface and focused at one particular spot.

Kanshou was damaged.

It was tiny thing, nothing more than a scratch. A near invisible line no thicker than a strand of hair that stretched for a couple of inches over Kanshou's black hexagon-patterned surface, no doubt a direct result of the last strike it had withstood. All told, it was a harmless thing and barely even noticeable. Even I wouldn't have caught sight of it if not for my structural analysis and I doubt anyone would even realise it was there unless it caught the light at just the right angle.

It also irritated me in a way I couldn't begin to explain.

I didn't know why it did. The damage, if you could even call it that, was purely on a cosmetic level and wouldn't take away from the blade's performance in any way. It was but a tiny blemish, a microscopic flaw in an otherwise flawless blade, and yet, for some reason, it annoyed me far more than it should have. Like a splinter in my finger or something caught between my teeth, the thought of it wouldn't leave my mind.

Releasing my grip from the hilt of the blade, I allowed Kanshou to slip through my fingers and fall to the ground. The blade spun once as it fell but before reaching the ground it began to fade away, breaking down and dispersing into motes of light as I dismissed the sword with the a single thought, both it and its partnered blade, Bakuya, disappearing. The with another thought I projected a new pair, the black and white blades forming straight into my waiting hands. Lifting them up, I gave each one quick look over before I nodded, pleased, and returned my focus ahead.

There, that's better. _Flawless and firm_.

Returning my attention to Karasuba, I found that she was already showing signs of recovery. She was still panting as she stood bent over double, but not as badly as she been before. At this rate she would be raring to go after a few more minutes of rest, and I knew that if I wanted any chance of putting her down fast and clean it would be now, while she was still weak and vulnerable.

Naturally I did no such thing. Instead I maintained my steady pace as I grew closer to her while she in turn steadily recovered her strength. Putting her down had never been my goal in the first place. If it had been, there was numerous other ways I could have gone about it. Instead what I wanted to do was reason with her, and find a way so that we could coexist without death or bloodshed. And there was no way that was happening when she was so keen on fighting me, so it was best just give her the fight she wanted and it get over and done with. Hopefully when she got it out of her system she'd be easier to work with. It was, in part, the reason why I had never retreated or backed away from her at any point in the battle so far, even when it would have been to my advantage to do so. I had promised her a fight and I intended to give her one.

Besides, in this case time was as much of an ally to me as it was to her. One way or another everything would be over by sunset, so if she chose to use to this time to rest instead of fighting it didn't make much difference to me other than making my life easier. Which is why I allowed her this chance to rest without interrupting.

Besides, she always seemed to be rather talkative while she rested.

At this point I was a still a good two miles away from Karasuba, but I decided to speak up anyway. Without bothering to raise my voice, certain that the Boosted Gear had enhanced her hearing along with the rest of her body, I said, "Six times."

Seeing her look up, I felt that my guess was correct and she could hear me despite the distance. Grey strands drifted before her eyes as she focused them on me, and I carried on speaking. "That's your limit," I clarified, "six times. You can't boost yourself any further than that."

Even if the Boosted Gear was matched to their wielder's soul, even if they had been born with it and had their entire life to adapt to it, it didn't change the fact that the human body was never designed to hold a Dragon's might. Dragons were just too powerful, almost beyond comprehension, and no matter how much they tried to adapt to it a human would never be able to draw out more than the smallest portion of their power. If anyone tried to they would die. It was as simple as that.

Mind you, that didn't make them any less dangerous, as even the smallest fraction of a Heavenly Dragon's strength made them ludicrously powerful, which just goes to show you how strong Ddraig must have been.

But the point was that there was a limit, and over the course of the battle I had been looking for it. I observed Karasuba, watched how she fought and searched for patterns and weakness to exploit, as all the while I kept a careful count of the number of times she boosted. Every user of the Boosted Gear had a limit, and Karasuba was certainly no exception. All I had to do was find out what it was. And I had.

Karasuba's limit was six.

"You had me fooled at the start when you just kept on boosting with no end. It almost felt like you could have kept going as long as you wanted to, and I had no idea how you kept doing it." My eyes shot to the ruined nodachi lying at her feet, now nothing more than clumps of steel dust. "At least, I hadn't until I noticed that you weren't actually boosting your body, just your sword. I'm not sure how that works exactly. I thought that the Boosted Gear considered your sword as a part of yourself, but there seems to be more to it than I first believed because you clearly can boost your sword alone.

"That's when I began to put the pieces together. You don't have a single limit, but two. One for your body, the other for your weapon. You reached your body's limit at six boosts, but you kept boosting your sword without a care. After all, why should you care? If you pushed it too far the worst that could happen was that it would break, and if that happened all you had to do was replace it with another one. You certainly have plenty to spare."

All told it was a rather ingenuous solution to the problem of the limitation of her human body. If there was only so much of the Boosted Gear's power you could hold inside of yourself, all you had to do was find something else to boost, something with a larger limit than your body. And as the case was, Karasuba chose to use her sword.

While that may not have been as effective as boosting herself, I knew better than anyone how much more dangerous a person could become with a powerful enough weapon in their hands. Thinking about it that way Karasuba's method wasn't too different from my own. She just strengthened her blade, while I made mine, but the end result was that we both fought with a blade more powerful than we ourselves were.

"Then there were the times you boosted yourself for a seventh time." I said as I carried on walking. The entire time I approached, Karasuba didn't say a word, just silently watching me as she tried to recover her breath. At one point she managed to pushed herself off her knee so that she stood up straight again, though she did wobbled for a moment before she succeeded. "That too had me stumped at first. You almost had me convinced that your actual limit was seven until I started to notice that you never actually held onto that power for long. As a matter of fact, whenever you boosted for the seventh time you would immediate transfer away your power, exactly half, into you sword, reverting you power level back to how it was before your seventh boost. When I noticed that it became easy to figure out what was really going on. It's not that you choose to transfer your power after your sixth boost, its that you have no choice but to get rid it. You can't hold on to that much power for long, can you? Maybe a second or two, but that's it."

The Boosted Gear had several other lesser abilities along with its power to double its wielder's strength, and among those abilities was a skill known as '_T__ransfer_'. Just as the name implied, it allowed the user to transfer all the power they had gathered from boosting into another person or object.

Not raw power though. No, if it was just that then _transfer _would not be anywhere near as terrifying as it was. What made that skill so frighting was that it didn't transfer the user's raw energy, it transferred _boosts_.

That was how she could extend the blade of her sword so far, so fast. If she had boosted her nodachi directly, at most its blade's length would only double. But if she transferred the power she gained from her seventh boost directly to her sword instead, well, that was a different matter. Boosting six times was the equivalent of increasing your power sixty-four fold, so by boosting one more time, only to immediately transfer half of that power into her sword, she would effectively be boosting it six times instead of just one.

Really, the Boosted Gear had such all-encompassing power that it was practically unfair.

Still, as impressive as all that was, I couldn't but help feel…

"Is this all you can do?" I asked honestly, not even trying to hide my disappointment.

That, more than anything I had said so far, got her attention. Whatever weariness remained on her face was wiped away by a quick flash of anger as Karasuba leveled a glare at me, grey eyes locked on to mine. "What exactly are you implying by that, Emiya?"

"Exactly what it sounded like." I answered as I steadily approached her, though I was still a long ways off. For all the walking I had done, I still had not yet reached her side, which I suppose just goes to show how far I was knocked away. I glanced at the buildings around me before I turned back to Karasuba and I looked her over. "Is this all you can do?"

She was a mess. Her pristine clothes were ruined, ripped and torn in several place with red angry cuts peeking though the gaps. Yet in spite of the number of her wounds there was remarkably little blood staining her clothing. Though they were mostly minor injuries, little more than nicks, they should have bled freely, especially in an ongoing fight, but other than a few red smears there was hardly any blood there. Her healing factor was no doubt responsible for that quirk.

Still, even with her healing keeping her going, I had already begun to notice a drop in her performance. She was beginning to slow, not by much, but just enough to be noticeable, and the stretches of time she need to rest had been steadily growing even as the time between rests shortened.

Karasuba was tiring herself out.

It wasn't something that would stop Karasuba from fighting until the end, but it did mean that she had already reached her peak in this battle. Exhaustion would dull her strikes and blunt her ferocity in a way words and reason could not. It was a little sad, but it was all down hill from here as Karasuba continued to steadily pile on wounds and wear herself out.

If this was really all she could do, then the worst of this fight was already over.

In comparison I had ended up faring much better. Sure I had my own share of cuts on my clothing, fighting in a shower of broken glass tended to do that to you, but none of them managed to break skin. Thanks to my hardened body I had managed to come out of this fight practically unharmed.

"Really, is this it?" I repeated, "Don't get me wrong, you are strong." I pointed Bakuya towards the pile of falling buildings back at the city center. "If you can bring down half a city so easily then you can't be called anything but strong. It's just that..."

"Just what?" Karasuba promoted when I trailed off.

"...You haven't scored a single hit so far."

And it was true.

We had been fighting for what must have been hours by now and yet, despite limiting myself to only Kanshou and Bakuya from among my Noble Phantasms, Karasuba had failed to score a single hit on me. She had come close, but not once had her blade so much as touched my skin.

And that, more than anything, left me feeling disappointed in a way I couldn't begin to explain.

It was weird. I should have been happy that this was her limit. For all the danger that she posed, and she most certainly was dangerous, Karasuba lacked the power to bring down an Ultimate-Class Devil. Without the advantage of surprise she had no real chance. Her fighting style allowed her to catch her opponents off guard, so I wouldn't say her chance was absolute zero, but in a head-on fight she'd be crushed. She was impressive and more than strong enough to kill High-Class Devils in their dozens, but an Ultimate-Class? That was beyond her. For all that she had been able to push me in this fight at times, there had not been a single point at which I had been legitimately concerned for my life. She had managed to surprise and even startle me, but not to the point where I genuinely felt that I may die. I should have felt relieved knowing that, and yet I wasn't.

After everything that had happened, I was expecting...well, _more_. After the encounter at school, then the confrontation with the Khaos Brigade, along with all the repeated warnings I had been given, I had begun to paint a pretty large picture in my head on how powerful Karasuba was, and now that we were fighting she was just failing to match up to it.

Was that it? Was that all there was to it? Had I painted too large a picture of her, one that was impossible for anyone to match? Was it all in my head? The oppressive presence I had sensed when I had first laid eyes on her, the fear I felt whenever she came too near, was it all in my own mind? Did I imagine the whole thing, or was there something more to her that I was missing?

Only one way to find out.

"I even took what might have been your strongest attack head on, and I walked away with nothing but a couple of bruises – which are already beginning to heal – to show for it." Which was true. I could already feel the cleansing effects of Avalon soothing the pain as it restored my body to its previous state. "When you take your age into consideration you just might potentially be the most powerful wielder of the Boosted Gear in history, and as impressive as all of this is...is that it? Is this all you can do? Because if so, then all your boasts about claiming my life are starting to sound like exactly that. Boasts."

It was more than a little reckless, but sometimes the only way you can get to see a tiger roar was to poke it. And it was obvious that my words had their intended effect, if the steely glare that was being sent my way was any indication.

"_You_-" Karasuba ground out between clenched teeth, hard steel grey eyes locked onto my own. But then, instead of charging like I had half-expected her to, all of the rage seemed to drain away, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared, replaced with a wry smile as Karasuba huffed out a laugh and shook her head.

"My, how rude of me. I didn't know I was boring you, Emiya." She stood up straight and seemed to stretch, before dropping into her usual stance. "Well now, that simply won't do."

Her usual smile settled onto her face even as her eyes narrowed. Shifting her grip on her sword, Karasuba raised her nodachi high above her head. "After all the trouble you went through setting all this up, I can't have you leaving here disappointed, can I?" She titled her head to one side, as if thinking on something. "Or with your head for that matter."

Then she blurred, her power spiking again as she boosted and launched herself towards me, covering most of the distance faster than most people cold blink.

Unfortunately, in her haste to get to me, Karasuba ended up making a mistake.

Generally, weapons with a longer reach tended to give their user an advantage. It was an almost universal rule on the battlefield: all things being equal the fighter with the longer range won more often than the one with the shorter range. After all, if you could attack at your enemy but they couldn't hit you in turn, you would win by default. And Karasuba's nodachi was practically as long as you could get when it came to swords, and when you compared it to my own blades, well, the advantage was all too clear.

But like with everything else, long weapons came with their own disadvantages. Not only were they cumbersome to wield indoors or in densely packed areas, but they were terrible at striking at someone who stood too close to you. That was its fatal flaw. A spear could easily kill an enemy who stood two or three meters away, but if they were right beside you, then a spear became as useless as a big stick. It was why spearmen were so careful to keep their enemies at a distance: they knew too well the dangers of allowing them to get too close.

A nodachi had a far longer reach than my blades, but if you got in close enough, well within their wielder's reach, then it became all but impossible to use it to cut. Kanshou and Bakuya, however, didn't share this problem. The short blades were chopping weapons, so while they lacked the range of nodachi or even a common katana, they could cut or stab targets even if they stood chest-to-chest to me.

Karasuba streaked towards me, blade held high above her head in preparation to bring it cleaving down, but it was too high, and it left her wide open. So before she even got the chance to bring her sword down, I moved.

The ground cratered beneath my feet as I pushed off, all but catapulting forward through the air. I had waited until Karasuba was almost on top of me before moving, the very last second, when she was too committed to her attack and wouldn't have enough time to react to my own.

She swung her sword down, so fast that her blade was nothing but a crescent streak of light, but it was still too slow. Before her sword came anywhere near me, I was gone. I stepped forward right into her range, so close that I was almost face to face, placing myself in a position that made it impossible for her to bring her nodachi to bear. But the same could not be said about my own blade, for even as I took myself out of the nodachi's reach, I brought her into Bakuya's own. And though she showed no fear, I could see the realization dawn in her eyes even as it happened, but by then it was already too late.

I struck.

The white blade leapt from my side without command, its tip eagerly diving straight toward her unprotected side. Without looking I felt certain the strike would land. With me already so close, and her momentum practically throwing her into my blade's path, there was nothing she could do. Not even if she somehow managed to double or quadruple her speed would she be able to avoid it. So I watched with certainty as the white blade arced towards her.

But just as the edge of my blade was about to bite into flesh-

_**[Boost!]**_

_-_it... missed?

Not by an inch or even a foot, but by yards.

I watched in disbelief as Bakuya's edge continued to cleave through nothing but air, the white blade arcing through the empty space where Karasuba had been while the girl in question stood well back, so far beyond the reach of its tip that I couldn't have scratched her even if I stretched.

In the brief instant of battle, where milliseconds stretched for minutes, my mind raced to understand what had happened. But no matter how many times I ran the scene through my head I couldn't understand what I was seeing. One moment Karasuba was before me, then the next, without so much as twitching, she was standing two meters further back, and I had no idea how she had gotten there.

Nor did I have the time to think on it, because no matter how it had happened, what it meant was that Karasuba was now two meters further back than she was supposed to be, which not only placed her out of reach of my swords, but had also placed me right smack-dab in the middle of hers.

My mind rang with alarm as I looked up only to find the edge of Karasuba's blade but a hand span away, cleaving right down toward my skull. Even as Kanshou rose in a futile attempt to block it, I knew it would be too late. As Adrenalin pumped through my veins I flooded my limbs with Prana, Reinforcing my legs to their absolute limit even as I leap back and to the side. The ground shattered under the force, two cones of ruined gravel spreading from beneath my feet as I pushed back and to the side, trying my best to put my body out of harm's way.

And I made it.

Despite how close I had come to being bifurcated, I managed to get my body out of the way, all but throwing myself backwards and to the right. The nodachi's edge reached head level before it sunk down to the earth, completely missing me-

_**[Cancel!]**_

-pain flared as cold steel tore into my flesh.

For the first time since the battle had started, Karasuba managed to score a hit.

Biting deep into my shoulder, then through it, the nodachi sunk into my flesh with ease. It was only thanks to Kanshou blocking the rest of its path that it was prevented from going any further and cleaving me entirely in two.

For a moment my mind was filled with shock and pain as I found myself staring into Karasuba's smugly grinning face, before my reflexes cut in. Uncaring for any addition damage it may cause I stepped back, pulling myself off the nodachi with a sick squelch as my flesh clung to the blade, before leaping back once I was free, putting as much distance as I could between us.

Thankfully Karasuba didn't follow me – whether because she couldn't or just chose not to, I couldn't tell. Still, I wasn't taking any chances, and I kept backing away, only stopping once I had at least a hundred meters between us.

I had one hand pressed against my wounded shoulder, trying to stem the bleeding, while with the other I held Bakuya up before me, pointed towards Karasuba. But it looked like I didn't need to be on guard as Karasuba appeared content to stay where she was.

"So," Karasuba smiled, somehow managing to sound smug even as her shoulder rose and fell with every rough breath, "are you entertained now?"

I barely heard her. My mind was too busy trying to process what the hell had just happened. Even now, without the constant threat of decapitation, I couldn't understand she had done. Karasuba hadn't moved, I was sure of that, her feet hadn't left the ground at any point since I started my own charge, and yet she somehow managed to double the distance between us instantly, only to then immediately cut the space between us in half. It was almost as if-

"Wait," I asked, incredulity staining my voice as the realisation dawned on me, "did you just boost _space_?"

That...that shouldn't have been possible. There were no records of the Boosted Gear being capable of anything like that. While some of the previous users could manipulate an object's dimensions, if any one of them had the power to manipulate an actual dimension then no one had ever managed to write it down.

"You look surprised, Emiya." She tilted her head in faux confusion as she peered at me through one open eye. "Could it be you've already forgotten? I warned you, didn't I?" The smile Karasuba spared me was positively wicked."_W__hen it comes to the Boosted Gear, distance, scale, and size mean absolutely nothing._"

"...so you did." I answered after a time, vaguely recalling her say those very words at the start of the fight. It's just, I didn't expect her to mean them so literally when she said them.

If she could use the Boosted Gear to boost something as abstract as distance then what else could she boost? Time? Was it possible for her to create something similar to Kiritsugu's Time Alter?

I didn't know, but the implication alone was quite frankly frightening. Thankfully, it seemed that whatever technique she had used seemed to take a lot of her, so it shouldn't be possible. For now. Give her time to mature and master the technique, then who knows what she'd be able to do. The world was going to be a scarier place when Karasuba eventually grew up.

With an ease born from practice I ignored the pain as I removed my hand from my shoulder, fingers slick with blood, and turned to examine the wound while making sure to keep one eye trained on Karasuba. The wound was deep but clean, and nowhere as bad as it could have been. Her strike had cleaved right through my left collar bone, cutting through the bone as easily as it had flesh, but it had missed hitting anything vital. Had she gone just a couple of inches lower then she might have ended up nicking an artery or even a lung, but as it was the worst of the damage was the blood loss and disabling of my left shoulder.

Neither of which posed a serious problem to me.

Even as I turned away the wound was beginning to close, the sound of steel scraping along steel reaching my ear. Left alone I'd be good as new in a few minutes. Already I could feel the bleeding beginning to stem.

And it seemed Karasuba caught it too.

"Ho~," Karasuba's eye widened as she peered at my wound with thinly-veiled interest, though I wasn't sure how well she could see from where she was. "That's some healing you have there. I knew Devils healed fast, but that…"Karasuba paused, halting with her mouth open mid-word. Shutting her mouth with an audible _click, _Karasuba focused on my wound with a thoughtful frown. "Emiya, there is a sword poking out of your shoulder," she said, sounding as nonplussed as I had ever heard her.

Apparently, she could see well enough.

"Yes," I answered without looking, "yes there is."

Karasuba stared at me in disbelief, caught off balance by either the sword in question or my nonchalant response to it, before finally snorting and laughing. "Only you, Emiya," she chuckled as she shook her head. "Only you could have a sword poking out of yourself and consider it normal."

"...?" That was strange, the way Karasuba worded it...she made it sound as if she knew me. But unless she had learned about me from someone, that shouldn't have been possible. "You say that as if you know me rather well."

"Oh?" she peered at me, smiling with her eyes crinkled shut. "You don't remember? Or maybe you just didn't notice. Tell me, when exactly do you think we first met?"

"The fist time I ever laid my eyes on you was in school, when you were watching me through the window."

"That was our second meeting." She answered with a wide smile, catching me by surprise. Karasuba made a show of tapping her chin. "Though I guess I can't really call it a proper meeting either, since we never got the chance to talk. But then again our first meeting was even worse, so I guess it counts."

I racked my mind, trying to remember the event, but I came back empty. If I had met Karasuba any time earlier then I couldn't recall.

"It's fine," Karasuba spoke up, cutting me off. "You were rather distracted at the time, so I can forgive you for forgetting. And like I said, its not like we had the chance to talk." Karasuba's attention shifted from my face to my now mostly healed shoulder and hummed. "That's going to a pain to deal with in a bit," She commented with a thoughtful frown, before shrugging carelessly. "Ah well, looks like I'm going to have to end up removing your head after all. I'll take my time digging through your corpse to figure out how you tick afterwards."

Karasuba raised her nodachi again and held it before her, ready for another round. I responded in kind, dropping lower in my stance as I held Kanshou and Bakuya by my side, edges facing outwards. Though instead of charging at me like I was sure she was about to, Karasuba threw me another question instead.

"Still disappointed?" Seeing my confusion, Karasuba nodded to my shoulder, smile still plastered on her lips. "I scored a hit."

Despite the lingering pain from the wound, I felt the beginning of a smile tugging on the edge of my lips. "So you did," I admitted with a nod, feeling a small stirring of pride in my chest at her accomplishment-

And wow, did I ever need to see a therapist. Where the hell did that come from? I mean I always knew there was something wrong with me but man I must have needed that therapy even more than I thought if the fist thing I felt when Karasuba succeeded in cutting me up was pride...and sadly that wouldn't even be anywhere near the weirdest thing I would end up talking about in that session. I wonder if the therapist would classify Archer trying to kill me as a form of suicidal behaviour? I wasn't-

Steel tore through the air above my head as I ducked and leapt to the side, dodging another extending thrust of Karasuba's nodachi as she tried to take advantage of my distracted state. Not half a second later Karasuba was on me, sword swinging as we resumed our fight.

Unwilling to commit fully to any attack after what happened last time, at least not while my injury continued to heal, I pulled back and allowed Karasuba to chase me down the road. Using Archer's fighting style again, I blocked every strike that was sent my way, occasionally retaliating with one of own more to disrupt Karasuba's charge than to hit her. Karasuba rarely ever blocked those, preferring to rely on her speed and reflexes to keep herself from harm, weaving and dodging around blows rather than bringing up a solid guard.

Forsaking any form of defence, Karasuba threw herself at me, gleefully swinging her sword at every opening she saw. Even after figuring out Archer's fighting style, she hadn't stopped attacking the holes in my guard. Instead, she enthusiastically aimed for them, especially those that would lead to potentially fatal wounds. It was almost as if she was fascinated with this style of fighting.

Though I didn't have much of a leg to stand on, as I too was fascinated by the way she fought.

To put it simply, Karasuba fought dirty.

As the fight dragged on the more I realised how much Karasuba loved to play dirty. It quickly became clear that the concept fair play or honourable combat had no meaning to her. She used every little trick at her disposal, attacked when you least expected and was more than happy to take advantage of any slip of your attention. Traps, ambushes, tricks, she used them all and more, and it was quite frankly fascinating to watch the amount of tricks she could pull with her limited tool-set.

She would have made a terrible knight but a dangerous killer. She wasn't a swordsman in the truest sense, though she clearly enjoyed the clashing of steel and would have been all too happy to exchange blows all day long if she could. She didn't fight as one. Instead she fought like a professional solider or assassin, willingly using ever dirty trick if it meant get the killing shot in. It was the type of fighting style that Saber would have disapproved of while Kiritsugu would have praised it wholeheartedly.

"You know," I commented lightly as I deflected another blow, "I think my father would have approved of you." Then I thought on it a little more before amending, "Presuming, of course, that he didn't just put you down on principle first."

"Oh?" Karasuba arched a brow, looking more intrigued than offended by my father's willingness to kill her, not halting in her attempts to kill me as we talked. "That's some family you have there, Emiya."

I snorted. "You have no idea." My father's past alone would have filled dozens of books, probably did now that I thought of it, and that wasn't even including Kiritsugu's own father. And I didn't even want to begin to think about Ilya. "But you're one to talk; your family isn't exactly normal either." I said while recalling Karasuba's own father, Ichirou.

While I couldn't quiet place my finger on it, there was something about that man that just wasn't normal. Unsettling even.

But it appeared that Karasuba misunderstood who I had meant.

For the first time I saw something that I could only have described as scorn appear on Karasuba's face, her lips twisting in a hateful sneer even as she skipped back to avoid a blow. "Ah, I see you met the _worm_."

"Worm?" I asked, back-pedaling as she retaliated with a flurry of quick strikes. "Who are you talking about?"

"_Issei,_" she hissed just as she threw a particularity nasty strike, one that would have split me in two from the bottom up had it hit.

"What?" I knew their relationship was pretty bad, but- "Why do you call him that?"

"What else would you call a wingless dragon? Scaless, fangless and clawless." Each strike grew more furious, less graceful with every swing as her anger built. "What else could it be but a _worm_? _A Drake?" _She all but spat out. "While I trained and sweated, he did nothing but sit in his room all day with his dick in his hand and whine about how unfair the world is," she _snarled_. "What the fuck does he have to whine about when he had everything I ever wanted handed to him on a silver platter."

"He is your brother-" I didn't manage to finish the words before I was forced to raise my sword to block a blow as Karasuba swung her nodachi more like a club than a sword.

"_HE-IS-NOT-MY-BROTHER!_" She screamed in denial. "_NOT MY TWIN. NOT HIM. NEVER HIM_."

It was twisted, the range of emotions I felt coming from her, the bitter hate in her voice more intense than anything she had shown so far. And beneath it all, almost entirely hidden under the scorn and hatred, was pain. It was so clear in her voice, raw and angry like an old wound that had never properly healed nor scabbed over into a scar, festering instead for years afterwards.

This was a hate that went beyond simple sibling rivalry or the reasons she claimed. This went deeper. Whatever it was that drove those two apart, it didn't appear as simple as it first seemed.

"He was supposed to be like me," she carried on. "My twin, my equal. And instead he became like that! I wouldn't allow that thing, that worm to be called my twin!"

"Aren't you being a little unfair?" I questioned as I blocked her blows, having an easier time of it despite her increase in tempo as her rage made her form grow more sloppy, "He didn't have a Heavenly Dragon helpfully guiding him into growing strong like you did."

I immediately knew that was the wrong thing to say.

Karasuba froze, literally froze stock-still place, sword pulled back behind her in preparation for a swing that would never come. I felt concerned as she stood there, unmoving, not even trying to continue the fight, only for Karasuba to fold into herself a heartbeat later as she laughed.

"You...you think-" She couldn't even finish the sentence as she was overcome with laughter, wrapping an arm around herself and bending forward as she laughed. "You think Ddraig _helped_ me?" She managed to make the question sound incredulous even through her laughter.

"This is Ddraig we're talking about. Ddraig. A creature so cruel that every member of the Three Factions, a group of people who were actively trying to commit genocide on each other, were willing to put aside their differences and united together, during the middle of a god damn war, all so that they could bring him down. He is a beast that brought so much death and destruction to the earth that he wiped out entire civilizations from history just because he was bored.

"And you think _that_ Ddraig would help me? That he would just walk up to me and eagerly offer me power while he wagged his tail behind him like a puppy? _Are you fucking kidding me!_" She yelled out in anger, all humour disappearing as her face contorted with rage. Grey irises stared at me for a long while before they were hidden behind lids as Karasuba brought her face under control, her empty smile returning.

"Well, you're not wrong." Her voice gaining a malicious edge. "Ddraig did make me strong, just not in the way you're thinking. Let me tell you how."

* * *

It scraped across the wooden floor, like the clawed feet of mice scrambling on boards, though far larger than a mouse had any right to be, disturbing the peaceful silence of the night.

Moonlight slipped through the blinds, throwing bands of light across the otherwise darkened room and illuminating the toys that littered the floor. In one corner of the room, across from the bedroom closet, sat children's bunk beds. Their two occupants slumbered peacefully, tucked in beneath their blanks, completely unaware even as something clawed its way to them, hiding within the shadow.

Dark and unseen, it moved, only illuminated by the bands of moonlight peaking between the blinds, as it drew ever closer.

"Hello?"

A child's voice, thick with fear, whispered from one of the beds.

In the lower bed, wide brown eyes peeked cautiously out from beneath the covers. Tiny hands, those of a child no more than eight or nine, clenched the top of her blanket and pulled it up to her chin as she peered around her once familiar room, now made strange by the shadows of the night, searching for what had disturbed her rest.

"Is anyone there?" She whispered again, wide eyes peeking over her cover's edge as they strained to pierce through the darkness. "Mom? Dad? Is that you?"

But other than the silence that gripped the room, she received no reply. Peering around herself one more time, the young girl relaxed, having finally convinced herself that there was nothing there. Leaning back down onto her pillow, she shifted around, searching for a comfortable spot, before she finally settled in and allowed her eyes to flutter closed as she steadily began to drift back to sleep.

-_Scuttle-_

"Ah!" She sat up, gripping her covers closely to her chest as she frantically glanced about herself, her breathing coming out in quick pants. Her head swivelled left and right as she tried to spot the source of the noise while she strained her ears to see if she could hear it again, but other than the pounding of her heart she heard nothing.

Swallowing once, she mustered her courage and called out, "Hello?" Despite her efforts, her voice came our as a frightful whisper. "Anyone there?"

When no reply was offered, she tried again, "Come out, there is no use in hiding, I know you're there. I can hear you." Though she tried to sound brave, the nervous quiver in her voice betrayed her. "Come out now and I won't be mad." She looked around once, before adding, "Promise."

But again, there was only silence.

With her blanket already pulled up to her chin, she reached out and tugged it higher, pulling it above her nose so only her eyes were visible, which darted left and right as they tried to spot the intruder in her room. When she still failed to find anything she turned her gaze up towards the bed that hung over her head.

"Issei," She whispered. "Issei, are you up?"

She waited, hoping for an answer as she watched the bottom of his bunk bend, but when no reply came she tried again, a little louder this time. "Issei?" She glanced around herself before looking back up. "Issei, I think something's in here."

But despite her pleading, the only sound she heard was the peaceful breathing of her younger brother as he dozed above her.

_-__Scrape-_

_"__Ah!" _Clamping two hands over her mouth, the girl scrambled backwards in her bed in a panic, backing away to the wall. Her eyes darted around the room, searching for the flash of red she was certain she had caught sight of a moment earlier.

A full minute passed, then another, and she continued to huddle, afraid, in her bed, eyes wide and unblinking as they scanning the room, hands still clamped over her mouth. But as the seconds continued to tick away, her fear began to fade, and as it was wont to do, irritation quickly began to take its place, fraying at her patience and fueling her frustration. Until, in flash of anger, she kicked off her blanket and yelled out, "Enough, this isn't funny." She levelled her best glared around the room, her tiny hands clenched into fists as if she would try and pummel whatever it was that dared defy her. "If you're not going to go away, I'll-"

Her eyes snapped to one side as she caught sight of a flash of crimson scales, glimmering like jewels of burning fire, as it disappeared under her bed.

She watched the edge of her bed warily, ready for anything to appear, but when nothing happened she knew it was she who had to approach. So, swallowing once, she mustered her courage and began to make her way to the edge of her bed, crawling on her hands and knees.

One hand moving before the other, she slowly pulled herself forward to the edge, ignoring the pounding in her chest as she crawled across her bed, only stopping once there was no more room to crawl when she finally reached the end. Hesitating only briefly, she took a single deep breath before slowly lowering her head over the side, peering over the rim with one eye, then when nothing happened, the other.

Seeing nothing but the wooden boards of her bedroom's floor, she leaned over further, pulling the upper half of her body off the side of the bed so that she could glimpse through the gap under her bed. She paused in the last second, but before her courage could completely desert her, she forced herself downwards to the floor and looked at what laid beneath her bed.

But what she found beneath the shadows of the bed was no monster, no intruder stalking her in the night. There was nothing but old books and toys gathering dust from where they had been stowed away long ago.

Seeing there was nothing there, the girl couldn't repress a sigh of relief even as she mentally mocked herself for-

"_**Whatever are **__**y**__**ou **__**L**__**ooking for, Hatch**__**l**__**in**__**g?" **_

The voice hissed in her ear, so close she could feel the moist heat of his breath on her cheek.

"_AAH!"_ The girl screeched as she slipped off the bed, dragging the covers down with her as she tumbled to the ground, hitting the floor with a thump and landing in a tangled heap. Not bothering to check over herself she quickly scrambled to her feet and tried run away, only to immediately trip when her feet got tangled up in her covers, sending her crashing again to the floor.

Desperately she started to crawl away, clawing her way forward in her terror even as she franticly tried to kick her feet free. She only managed to get a couple of feet away before, at last, she managed to free herself and she quickly scrambled to her feet and she rushed to the door, all but lunging towards the light switch next to it.

Light bloomed as she slammed her hand on the switch, illuminating every corner of the room, and she spun around, hands held up before her and a scream on her lips, only to pull up short when she found herself facing...nothing? To see….nothing?

Heart pounding, she frantically glanced about herself, long brown hair whipping about her as shedscanned her room, her shoulders rising and falling as her breathing came out in loud pants.

"Kara-nee?" Karasuba almost jumped out of her skin at the sound of her brother's voice. A head popped out from over the edge of the upper bunk, hair in a tangled mess. Sleepily looking about himself in confusion, the young boy's brown eyes finally settled on his sister just as he let out a large yawn. "What's wrong?" He drowsily asked. "Is it morning already?"

Despite the cold sweat that still covered her face, Karasuba's panicked breathing was slowly beginning to calm as she got it back under control. Shaking her head, Karasuba replied, "N-no, Issei. There's nothing wrong, just a bad dream," trying to reassure herself as she did so. Seeing her brother's head droop, her eyes softened. "Oh Issei, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. You can go back to sleep now."

"But Kara-nee," the boy whined even as he tired and failed to stifle another yawn, "I'm not sleepy anymore~, really I'm-"

Without getting the chance to finish the sentence, Issei's body drooped over before slumping to his side and tumbling into bed. His breathing lengthened as he fell asleep almost as soon as his head had hit the pillow.

Karasuba couldn't help but release a giggle at her brothers antics, though she tried to stifle it behind her hand lest she wake him again. Turning back to the wall, Karasuba reached out a hand and was about to flip the light switch before a thought occurred to her.

With a thoughtful look on her face, Karasuba turned to look towards her bed, before turning back to the light switch. Vision jumping between the two a couple of times, Karasuba glance around the room before she let out a loud, self-deprecating sigh. With the lights still on, she scrambled up to her bed before kneeling and checking underneath it, making sure that there was nothing hiding there.

Still not completely satisfied, Karasuba continued to search the rest of the room. She looked in every corner, beneath the dresser, in the closet and even pulled open every drawer. Only then was she finally satisfied that she and her brother were the only ones in the room.

A now far more relaxed Karasuba returned to the light switch and flipped it off before rushing back to her bed, making sure to pick her cover from off the floor on the way. Just as she was about to slip into her bed, she paused and glanced up at her brother's bed.

Reaching up, Karasuba gripped the edge of his bed and placed one foot on her own before she hoisted herself half way up. Once she was leaning over his bed, Karasuba reached out with one hand and pulled the blanket that Issei had kicked off at some point back over her brother.

"Night-night."

Dropping back to the floor, Karasuba crawled onto her bed, before flipping onto her back and pulling her own blanket over herself. Snuggling in, she shut her eyes and began to drift back to sleep

-_Scuttle-_

Frowning, Karasuba ignored the sound, firmly determined to give it no attention. When the sound persisted, she flipped onto her side and faced the wall, before clamping her hands over her ears when that didn't help.

"Go away," she demanded, eyes clenched and hands over her ears as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Leave me alone. You're not real!"

_**"Oh, **__**B**__**ut I am **__**S**__**o **__**v**__**ery **__**R**__**eal **__**H**__**atch**__**l**__**ing." **_

Managing to restrain her reaction to only a flinch, Karasuba did not otherwise react to the voice other than by opening her eyes.

_**"It is **__**Only **__**You **__**who**__** are **__**L**__**ooking in **__**A**__**ll the **__**W**__**rong **__**p**__**laces."**_

"Oh yeah?" Pushing herself up into a sitting position, Karasuba turned around and glared at the empty room, thoroughly determined not to show any of the fear she felt. "Then where the Hell are you?"

Karasuba felt the bed beneath her shake as the beast laughed.

_**"**__**Oh Hatch**__**l**__**ing," **_It rumbled, voice thick with sadistic amusement._** "If it is a Monster that You Seek, then You Need Look **__**No**__** further than the Boundaries of **__**Your **__**own **__**Bed."**_

She stared down at the bed she was sitting on, sensing that the shaking had started right beneath her, then towards the its edge, and understood what she had to do. Despite her previous bravado, Karasuba's fear was clear by the trembling in her hands as she forced herself to crawl again towards the bed's edge, ignoring the butterflies the swarmed in her belly. And with every step closer she took, she felt the bed rise and fall, as though she stood atop the chest of a massive being as it breathed.

After what felt like an eternity she finally reached the bed's edge. With only a moment's hesitation and a shaky breath, she tensed and was about to throw her head off the side of the bed and peek under, when she was stopped.

_**"No, No, Not Beneath **__**the bed, Hatchling." **_It laughed, a rumbling so deep she felt it as much as heard it, as if it found humour in her misunderstanding. "_**On top of it. Why Search Below when There lies **__**a Monster already **__**W**__**aiting **__**F**__**or **__**You **__**Upon**__** your Bed?"**_

She felt his breath behind her, warm on her neck, and Karasuba swirled around in a blind panic, eyes whipping around as she scanned her bed, only to see nothing but her pillow and jumbled blanket from where she had kicked it off.

"Liar!" She yelled out as she attempted to calm her breathing and placed a hand over her pounding heart, trying to sound angry rather than afraid. "There is no monster here. There isn't anyone here but me."

_** "**__**Exactly." **_She felt the voice hiss by her ear, breath moist on her cheek, now little more than a whisper._** "The only Monster here...Is You."**_

"Enough!" She almost yelled out, before recalling who slept above her and managing to clench her teeth in the last second so that it came out as a hiss instead, even as its mocking laughed echoed all around her. Choosing a direction, Karasuba levelled her best glare and all but snarled, "This isn't funny anymore. Show yourself. Come out, Now!"

** "**_**Well, if **__**Y**__**ou **__**I**__**nsist."**_

Slithering scales, like those of a great serpent, coiled around her, so crimson they appeared to have been dyed in blood. They surrounded her from every direction and trapped her in their grip like ruby walls. Karasuba glanced around herself in half-panic, half-confusion as she tried to understand what was happening.

"Are...are you a snake?" She managed to ask.

The scales shimmered as they shook, like the dancing flames of a fire, and Karasuba realised that it was laughing.

"_**No, No, Hatchling. I Am Not One of Those who Slither in the Grass **__**like Worm**__**s**__**. If You Wish to Know **__**M**__**e then Y**__**o**__**u **__**N**__**eed not**__**L**__**ook **__**T**__**owards the E**__**arth.**__**Turn Your Sights**__** a little **__**H**__**igher **__**if **__**Y**__**ou **__**W**__**ish to **__**F**__**ind **__**M**__**e."**_

The voice came from above her and Karasuba reflexively craned her head back, but all she saw was more crimson scales coiling about her.

"_**No, **__**e**__**ven **__**Hi**__**gher. **__**You need **__**B**__**ut **__**L**__**ook to the **__**He**__**avens to **__**F**__**ind **__**O**__**ne like I."**_

Without thinking Karasuba obediently looked even higher, and only at the moment that she finally caught sight of him did she realise the truth.

That what was surrounding her was nothing more than the tip of its tail.

A mouth full of ivory fangs, each bigger than she was tall, smiled down at her. The crimson head it belonged to towered above her, held aloft by a long serpentine neck, far higher than should have been possible in her tiny room. And yet, it managed to fill it with room to spare. Even the wall somehow managed to hold its bulk which could have matched a mountain in size.

That was the first time Karasuba ever met one.

A Dragon.

"_**Greetings,**__** Hatchling**_," It nodded its scaled head in an almost polite manner as it watched her with slitted emeralds, the only part of its face that was not red. "_**So We **__**M**__**eet **__**at **__**L**__**ast**__**. **__**I am Ddraig, and **__**You, **__**Hatchling, **__**h**__**ave **__**K**__**ept me Waiting." **_

"_**Oh, **__**W**__**hat is **__**T**__**his?"**_ It cocked it's head to one side before it lowered its head and brought it next to hers. Its voice took on a faux curious tone as it pretended to finally notice her reaction. _**"**__**What's the **__**M**__**atter **__**Hatchling**__**?**__**W**__**hy do **__**Y**__**ou **__**S**__**hiver in **__**F**__**right? See **__**S**__**omething **__**y**__**ou **__**D**__**on't **__**L**__**ike?"**_

Ddraig laughed when Karasuba screamed and scurried away, somehow managing to fall backwards off the bed despite the scales that should have been there to block her way. Not caring about her good fortune, Karasuba continued to scramble backwards as soon she hit the floor, ignoring the pain she felt from landing on her back. But it did little good, for even as she placed as much distance between herself and the bed as she could, Ddraig followed after her with ease, its reptilian head hovering right above hers, propped forward by its massive neck, even while it body reminded behind.

_**"Why do you **__**S**__**curry, **__**H**__**atch**__**l**__**ing? Why do **__**Y**__**ou **__**C**__**ower **__**A**__**way in **__**F**__**ear? Don't you **__**S**__**ee, **__**We are Not One to **__**R**__**un. **__**But to **__**F**__**ight, **__**t**__**o Kill!**__** We are Dragon! **__**And **__**It is **__**N**__**ot Fitting for **__**O**__**ne such as Us to Flee in Terror. It is **__**T**__**hey **__**who**__** must Flee from **__**Y**__**ou, Hatchling. For What Else can they **__**D**__**o before a Monster but Flee or Die?**_" It paused, before resuming. _**"Then Again, they Will **__**D**__**ie **__**in the End e**__**ither **__**w**__**ay, so it Truly **__**M**__**atters Little **__**w**__**hat they Do**_."

Whimpering with terror, face white as a sheet, Karasuba tried to scurry away, putting as much space between her and this terror from her worst dreams as she could. Ineffectually so, as she never realised how little she moved, with sweat-soaked hands slipping on her floor and limbs numb with fear.

_**"Why do **__**Y**__**ou **__**Continue to Flee**__**?"**_ The Dragon asked, sounding almost genuinely curious were it not for the very human-like smirk it bore on its reptilian face. _**"**__**We are **__**S**__**upreme, **__**H**__**atch**__**l**__**ing. We **__**do Not **__**R**__**un, **__**f**__**or**__** We are **__**D**__**ragons, Killers of **__**W**__**orlds. **__**So **__**C**__**ome, **__**S**__**tand **__**T**__**all. **__**D**__**on't **__**C**__**ower like a **__**R**__**at in the **__**N**__**ight."**_

Having enough, Karasuba spun around and scrambled to her feet before running, uncaring of which way she went so long as it was away.

_**"Where are **__**you G**__**oing?"**_ It called after her, chuckling as it did so. _**"**__**We are one,**__**Y**__**ou and I. There is **__**N**__**o **__**W**__**here **__**Y**__**ou **__**C**__**an **__**h**__**ide **__**W**__**here I can't find **__**Y**__**ou, **__**No place **__**Y**__**ou Can Flee **__**Wh**__**ere I won't **__**E**__**nd **__**U**__**p **__**R**__**ight beside **__**Y**__**ou.**__**Y**__**ou **__**Will Forever **__**carry **__**M**__**e with **__**Y**__**ou **__**wherever**__** you go. **__**For**__** I **__**Am **__**You**__**. **__**And You Are Me. A Monster. Your very Soul Has Marked you So, Or Else You Would Not Be Carrying My Might in the **__**Very**__** Essence of Your Being. You Are a Monster, **__**No Less than I,**__** And Running will Never **__**Change**__** that Truth, Hatch**__**l**__**ing."**_

Karasuba finally managed to reach the end of the room when she ran into the closet, crashing into it in her haste. Her fingers, made numb by her terror, scrambled to latch onto the handle, failing to find purchase time and again before they finally gripped it. She swung it open, all but throwing herself into it and pulling the door closed behind her.

She crawled to the back wall before putting her back to it, watching the door outlined by the light managing to slip in through the edges. Knees brought to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, Karasuba huddled in the corner, watching the thin wood door that was all that separated her from the monster with terrifying eyes.

"_**Why **__**do **__**Y**__**ou **__**H**__**id**__**e**__**?"**_ She flinched when the door rattled in its frame as Ddraig reached it, almost leaping out of her skin. Karasuba watched the shadows shift as Ddraig brought its head closer to the door. "_**Come **__**now **__**L**__**ittle **__**One**__**, **__**L**__**et **__**M**__**e **__**g**__**et a **__**G**__**ood look at **__**Y**__**ou. Don't be **__**S**__**hy,**_" it purred. "_**S**__**tep into **__**T**__**he **__**L**__**ight**_."

Karasuba threw her arms over head as she tried to push herself deeper into the corner. "Please don't eat me. Please. Mom, Dad, help me."

"_**No one will come **__**for **__**you.**_" Ddraig spoke with a finality that left no doubt he spoke the truth. _**"Yell as **__**L**__**oud as you Wish, **__**t**__**hey Cannot **__**H**__**ear you, Hatch**__**l**__**ing, No **__**O**__**ne can. There is only **__**Y**__**ou and **__**M**__**e. AS it Always **__**W**__**ill Be."**_

The shadows shifted again as Ddraig settled down outside of her closet's door, and she knew then that there was no escape.

_**"**__**I Am Ddraig, the Dragon who rules **__**over**__** the **__**H**__**eavens. Or Will Rule. Hav**__**i**__**n**__**g**__** stolen the **__**P**__**rinciple of Domination from God, There Lies only one Who Stands in **__**the P**__**ath of **__**My D**__**ominion: Albion. But He too will **__**F**__**all, like so **__**M**__**any **__**O**__**ther**__**s **__**have **__**B**__**efore him."**_ Karasuba sensed more than saw Ddraig turn his head towards her. Even through the door she felt those cruel emerald eyes focus on her. _**"And **__**Y**__**ou, **__**Hatch**__**l**__**ing, will **__**B**__**ecome**__** the **__**I**__**nstrument of my **__**V**__**engeance. I**__** will **__**Grant you a **__**M**__**easure of my Might **__**and **__**F**__**orge **__**Y**__**ou into a**__** Weapon **__**like **__**N**__**o **__**O**__**ther**__**, **__**So **__**T**__**hat **__**at Long Last, **__**Through**__** your Hands I Will **__**Finally **__**Reap my Revenge. **__**And All Above will be Mine to Rule.**__**"**_

_ Ddraig never left. _

_ All night he sat there, continuing to speak to the child even as she remained petrified in fear, hiding in the closet. If he had any concern for the state of his listener then he didn't show it, and he carried on speaking of his plans throughout the night. So that was how she remained, huddled, scared and alone while a monster hissed poison into her ears._

_ When morning came that was how their parent found her, huddled in the corner of her closet, asleep atop a pile of clothing. When their daughter told them about crimson Dragons and monsters under the bed, they felt concerned. Not over the Dragon, which they were convinced was nothing more than a nightmare born from a child's over-active imagination, but over their daughter's state. She appeared haggard and tired, and yet her eyes never seemed to stop moving, jumping from place to place as if she was sure something would leap from the shadows the moment she stopped looking._

_ So while they didn't believe her tales, it was very clear that she believed. So to reassure her, one of them remained by her bedside for the following night, and the one after, not leaving her side until morning. _

_ And it seemed to work, for no crimson monster came to disturb her sleep that night when they stood guard by her side, and the following mornings their daughter returned to her usual happy, energetic self. Even when they stopped, the nightmares stayed away._

_ At least, for a time._

_ Soon they returned. Monthly, and then weekly, they slowly slipped into her nights, until it seemed as though every night held nothing but a waking terror, and nothing they could do seemed to help. Doctors found nothing wrong with her, and not even when they remained by her side did it seem to help. She would wake up screaming, staring into space, and see things that no one else would see, and at times she wouldn't even notice they were there, yelling out for them even though they were right beside her._

_ Things continued this way for a while, and it began to take a clear toll on the girl. Every morning she would appear more tired, more closed off, not even opening up to her twin brother, until their daughter became little more than a ghost of her former self._

_ "_I don't want to be a monster."

Karasuba clenched her eyes shut, hands firmly clasped over her ears, but to no avail. She could still hear him. No matter how hard she tried to block it out his words seemed to slide past her fingers and seep into her brain.

Whispering words of what it meant to be a Dragon.

"_**But **__**Y**__**ou **__**A**__**re, **__**Hatch**__**l**__**ing. **__**Y**__**ou are **__**T**__**hat and **__**M**__**ore.**_" Ddraig chuckled with amusement as he circled her, invisible to even her eyes. "_**You **__**will Become **__**t**__**he **__**D**__**estroy**__**er**__** of **__**C**__**ities, **__**t**__**he **__**B**__**ring**__**er**__** of **__**R**__**uin. **__**Your Presence will **__**H**__**erald **__**Devastation**__** and your **__**B**__**reath will **__**b**__**e **__**F**__**ire." **_He brought his head closer to her ear though he need not have done so, green eyes gleaming in the dark with sadistic joy. "_**Ah, I **__**C**__**an See it **__**N**__**ow. All the Death We will Bring Together, the Civilization**__**s**__** we will End. **__**I**__**n the Past I**__** have **__**L**__**aid **__**W**__**aste to **__**Civilization**__**s**__** as **__**E**__**asily as I **__**B**__**rought **__**Low**__** the **__**G**__**ods **__**t**__**hey **__**Prayed **__**T**__**o, **__**and So **__**I**__**t Will **__**B**__**e Once Again**__**.**__**Everything Will Perish at Your Touch, and All Who **__**L**__**ay Eyes on You **__**w**__**ill Know Fear. It will be Just Like **__**O**__**ld Times. Death will be Your only Legacy, Hatch**__**l**__**ing, and Through **__**t**__**hose Blood-Soaked Hands of **__**Yours I Shall Reap my Revenge."**_

"No, no, no, you're wrong." Karasuba rocked on her heels as she drew her legs up to her chest, eyes clenched and hands over her ears. She looked thinner now, more bony than slim, and the pyjamas that fit her snugly only weeks ago now hung loosely over her frame. Her eyes were lined with shadows, and even her hair hung limply by her side. "I'm not a monster. You're wrong. Just go away!"

Yet, she knew that his words were not entirely lies.

She saw it when he spoke. When he described the destruction he had caused, the lives he had taken, she saw the images, memories perhaps, of Ddraig doing so. And she knew not if it was just the Dragon playing tricks on her or whether they were visions of a possible future, but sometimes those images would be superimposed with herself, and it was she, not Ddraig, who killed and fought.

And despite herself, she felt a thrill run through her soul at the violence, the excitement of the fights, and understood some of the truths in his words. A part of her understood, if she had to choose between cowering for the rest of her life or having others cowering from her, she would choose the latter. There may have even been a part of her that might even enjoy it.

And she hated herself for it.

"Mom, Dad." Karasuba buried her face in her knees and pleaded. "Help me."

"_**And **__**S**__**till **__**y**__**ou **__**C**__**all **__**O**__**ut **__**f**__**or **__**T**__**hose **__**W**__**eaklings?**_" Ddraig cocked his head, genuinely baffled by this reaction. "_**You are a Dragon, **__**H**__**atch**__**l**__**ing. Dragons have no **__**K**__**in, no **__**F**__**amily. **__**B**__**onds of **__**B**__**lood mean **__**N**__**othing to **__**U**__**s. **__**W**__**e are **__**B**__**orn **__**A**__**lone and **__**w**__**ill D**__**ie **__**A**__**lone. **__**Even if **__**t**__**hey **__**Did **__**Come**__**, **__**What **__**G**__**ood can they **__**P**__**ossibly **__**D**__**o for **__**Y**__**ou? **__**They **__**C**__**annot **__**Fight for You, or Hunt for You, So Why do you **__**P**__**ersist **__**i**__**n Calling **__**O**__**ut to such Fragile Beings?"**_

After pondering this mystery for a time, Ddraig finally gave up and shook his head. "_**Ah **__**W**__**ell, it Matter**__**s **__**L**__**ittle I Suppose. Either **__**W**__**ay **__**t**__**hey **__**will **__**S**__**oon **__**Perish **__**B**__**eneath a Dragon's **__**C**__**law**__**s**__** just like the **__**R**__**est of **__**Th**__**eir **__**Pitiful**__** Race."**_

"I won't let you!" Karasuba's head snapped up in rage, a fire of her former self burning in her eyes as she glared at Ddraig. "Do you hear me? I won't let you hurt them!"

Ddraig laughed, a sound like lightning rumbling deep in his chest. "_**Oh, H**__**atchling," **_he crooned, sounding almost fond as he spoke,_** "**__**i**__**t **__**is**__**N**__**ot I **__**Who**__** will **__**be Doing**__** the **__**K**__**illing. It **__**w**__**ill Be **__**Y**__**ou."**_

There was an iron certainty in his words born from experience, from someone who had seen it happen a thousand times before and will see it happen a thousand more._** "**__**When you Hunt, it is only Natural for You **__**to**__** Begin close to Home. And Who Better to Start with than Those Who would Chain **__**y**__**ou **__**D**__**own? Better to Enjoy their Deaths early on than Risk Having them Stolen by Another."**_

"I won't!" Karasuba promised, trying to hide the fear and uncertainty she felt in the face of the Dragon's words."I won't hurt them. I won't hurt anybody!"

"_**Oh, but You Will,**_" Ddraig reassured her with a calm certainty that did nothing to dispel her fears. "_**You Will. Allow **__**M**__**e to **__**S**__**how **__**Y**__**ou **__**H**__**ow.**_"

"SHUT UP!" She shook her head, refusing to see the images of her parents' mangled bodies it tried to send to her mind. "I don't want to know! I don't want anything to do with you, you stupid overgrown lizard! Go away! You hear me? Just go away!"

Karasuba scrunched her face shut and clamped her hands harder over her ears as she rocked herself, humming to herself in an attempt to block him out. It was futile. She had tried it a dozen times before and she knew that if Ddraig wanted to be heard, he would be heard.

Which was why it came as such a surprise when she was met by nothing but silence.

When Karasuba first noticed, she cautiously began to open her eyes, peering around herself in confusion. She didn't remove her hands from her ears, all to aware that it might be another trap. It would not be the first time Ddraig had amused himself by giving her hope, only to snuff it out a moment later. But as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened, Karasuba began to lower her hands and relax, hopeful that Ddraig had left her alone for the night.

Then the shadows moved.

_-__R__attle-_

Karasuba almost jumped out of her skin when the door shook, vibrating as someone tried to pry it open. Without thinking, she leaped forward and latched onto one of the shelves attached to the back of the door before pulling with all her might, unwilling to let Ddraig in.

She fought against him, pulling back so hard that her fingers turned out from the force of her grip. Even as the door shook she didn't relent, just gritted her teeth and pulled with all the strength born from desperate fear. But that only encouraged Ddraig to pull harder. The corners of the shelves bit painfully into her fingers as she was pulled along the floor, dragged forward by the opening door.

Soon, though, her fingers failed her and the door was ripped from her grasp. As light flooded in from the open door Karasuba threw her arms over her face-

"-Kara?" She didn't know how long she had been sitting there when she finally registered it wasn't Ddraig who had spoken to her. "Kara, Honey, are you all right?"

"Dad?" Karasuba cautiously lowered her hands, blinking at the brightness, to find her father looking at her with concern from outside the boundaries of her closet. "Is that you?"

"Yeah, Honey, it's me." Ichirou's brow was furrowed with concern as he looked at his eldest daughter huddling in the closet, looking more like a cornered animal than a child with her eyes so wide with panic. Almost immediately, however, that expression melted away as his eyes narrowed and that relaxed, familiar smile of his returned to his lips. He took a step into the closet and held out his hand. "I heard you-"

"Don't come near me!" The utter terror in her voice caused him to flinch, and without thinking he found himself pulling his hand back and stepping back out of the closet. And even as he moved away so did Karasuba. She moved away from the door, propelling herself backwards with her feet until her back slammed into the wall. Even then she didn't stop trying to put more space between her father and her, her feet sliding on the wall as she attempted to push herself deeper into the closet even as she pressed her face flat against the wall.

"Please. Just don't come any closer."

"Okay. Okay, I won't." Ichirou promised her, his expression not shifting away from his laid back smile. Moving slowly, so as to not startle her further, Ichirou lowered himself to the floor, crossing his legs as he sat just outside of the closet. "I'm not coming any closer, see? I'm just going to sit down right here and relax."

Karasuba watched him from inside the closet, eyes so wide that all he could see was white. "J-just go away" she stuttered, still pressing herself against the wall. "Please? Please go away. I don't want to hurt you, Dad."

"And you won't, Honey." Ichirou made no move to get away as he gently laughed, "I know I may be getting on in years but I'm not _that_ old Kara. Your old man isn't so fragile that a little girl could hurt him."

"...But I'm not a girl." Unlike the loud, panicked voice she had been speaking with so far, Karasuba's reply this time came out as little more than a whisper, and Ichirou had to strain to hear her. "...I'm a Dragon."

"Are you now?" Quirking a brow, Ichirou's smile took on an amused edge. "Funny now, I don't recall seeing any scales growing out from you when I bathed you as a baby. Did those come out recently?"

"Ddraig says I am." Ignoring the levity that her father tried to bring, Karasuba continued to answer in a heartbreakingly fearful, so different from her loud, brash self. "He also says that Dragons have no family."

"Oh, does he now? None at all?" Karasuba shook her head at the question. "No papa?" Another shake of her head again. "Then what about a mama?"

"No mama. They come from an egg. All Dragons do."

"A Dragon is it? Well, that settles it then." Ichirou slapped a hand on his knee as he gave her an easy smile. "You can't be a Dragon then."

"But Ddraig says-"

"Honey," Ichirou cut her off, though he made sure to keep his voice gentle to let her know he wasn't mad, "you didn't hatch from an egg. You came from your mommy's tummy." Placing his hands behind his head, Ichirou leaned back as his eyes got a far away look. "You may not remember it, but I was there in the hospital when you and Issei were born. I remember it perfectly, the first time I laid my eyes on the both of you. You two were so tiny back then, like kittens. The both of you could have probably fit in a single one of my hands, though your mother didn't let me try. She was too scared I may end up dropping you, and promised to castrate me if I tried. Not to mention, the both of you were completely bald too, just like an egg. And trust me when I say that if your mother had given birth to an egg, I would have noticed. You're no more a Dragon than I am."

"But what if I am?" Karasuba looked away in shame, staring at the floor beneath her feet. "What if I...what if I really was a monster?"

"So what?"

Karasuba whipped her head up in surprise, only to find her father staring at her as seriously as she had ever seen him. Though his smile was still in place, his eyes were fully open and focused unblinkingly on her in a way that she would have found unsettling were it not for the love she saw in them.

"It doesn't change anything even if you are. Human or not, you are still _Hyoudou Karasuba_, and no matter what, nothing is going to change that." Ichirou watched his daughter, making sure that she understood his words. "Hyoudou, then Karasuba. The family name, then our own. Have you ever wondered why that is? Do you know why we keep our family name before our own?"

When Ichirou paused, Karasuba knew he was waiting for an answer and she shook her head.

"That's because family comes first," Ichirou told her seriously, meaning every word. "And even if you really are a Dragon, you are still and always will be _H__youdou_ Karasuba, my one and only daughter. And that's the way things always have been and always will be. Nothing is ever going to change that."

"Do you really think if you sprout a couple of wings or grow some fangs it will actually make a difference?" Ichirou gave her a look that made her feel a little stupid for even considering it, thought its effect was tempered by his smile. "You are _you__,_human or Dragon. Monster or beast, you would still be Hyoudou Karasuba, a member of this family, a sister, and our adorable little girl."

Ichirou shook his head. "Don't you see? It doesn't matter _what_ you are, because _who _you are will never change. Ever. Dragon or not, you will always be my daughter."

"...Promise?"

"Yeah," he nodded firmly, "I promise. Now, come on." Ichirou leaned forward and stretched out his left hand, placing himself past the boundaries of the closet that he had been careful not to cross, holding it open before his daughter's eyes. "Let's get you out of that closet and into your bed. Don't worry, I'll stay with you until you feel better. All night, if I must."

Karasuba stared at the offered hand with something approaching disbelief. It was such a simple thing, an offered hand of help, but to her, who had been lost without hope in the dark for so very long, the sight of it was like a ray of light after the long night. Gentle and so very, very warm.

Ichirou continued to hold his left hand open patiently, not allowing himself to budge as his daughter looked up from his hand to him with a hope so fragile that he felt something ache in his chest.

He never wanted to see such a thing on a child's face, let alone one of his own.

"Can I...Can I really-" Karasuba stuttered, trying and failing to put her feelings into words.

She didn't need to.

"Of course you can." Her father answered without hesitation, his eyes warm as his familiar smile grew just a bit brighter.

And with that, Karasuba stretched out her left hand in turn.

Cautiously, like he may pull back back at any moment, she reached out to his hand, pulling back slightly when her fingers brushed against his. Hesitating once more, Karasuba looked uncertain, before she steeled herself with what was left of her tattered courage and reached out to grasp his hand with all her might.

He responded in kind, gently wrapping his fingers around her own and holding them as if he would never let her go.

And just like that, it was as if all was right in the world.

"See?" Karasuba looked up to her father's smiling face. "I told you everything would be alright."

And that's when things went to Hell.

_**Insolence**_!

Scales sprouted out from the flesh of her left arm, coating her entire hand in a gleaming crimson gauntlet, while her soft fingers transformed into hard, unforgiving claws, their tips sharper than any sword. Without a second of warning those blood red claws clamped down onto Ichirou's hand like the jaws of a Dragon, parting through his flesh with ease and biting to the bone.

Ichirou stared in incomprehension at the now blood-soaked gauntlet that covered his daughter's hand, his mind not registering the pain of his own mangled hand. What had happened was so far beyond the scope of his understanding that he was left unable to respond even when an emerald jewel grew from the back of the gauntlet and a vertical slit appeared in its center. That slit shifted, like the pupil of a reptilian eye, to focus on him, staring up at him with more maddened malice than he would have ever believed possible.

Without a single command from Karasuba, who could do nothing but stare in horror with her face splattered in her father's blood, the Boosted Gear began to gather power even as it tightened its hold on Ichirou's hand, burying its claws straight into the bone. The crimson gauntlet glowed from within, producing an incandescent light that caused it to shine like a flame, pushing away all the shadows surrounding them while it grew almost blindingly bright. And just as it appeared it couldn't get any brighter, it pulsed once, and-

_**Perish!**_

A lance of red-hot light shot out from the Boosted Gear, so bright that it was like looking straight at the Sun. Karasuba managed to turn her face and shut her eyes in time to avoid being blinded and still she could see it through her lids. She felt her eyes dry as a wave of heat washed over her face, heating her cheek and singeing her hair.

Then the light was extinguished, plunging the room back into darkness.

As soon as she could see again, Karasuba whipped her head back towards her father. "Dad-" the rest of her words died in her throat.

Her father stood before her, alive and almost competently unharmed, except for one thing.

-his entire left arm was missing.

From the shoulder down it was simply gone, leaving nothing but a blacked stump of flesh that had been cauterized by the same heat that had vaporized the arm. Ichirou stared down at his missing limb in incomprehension, his usual relaxed smile nowhere to be seen as he tried to understand what had just happened.

Then the pain hit.

A strangled scream was ripped from Ichirou's throat as he dropped to the floor, clutching the shoulder of his missing arm in agony. The sounds he made was so animalistic, more like the screams of dying rabbit than a man, that Karasuba could scarcely believe it was her father that was making them.

"Dear, what's going on? Are the kids-" Aiko, having been woken up by all the commotion, froze in the room's doorway, having caught sight of her maimed husband, her face turning pale. "Ichirou!"

Rushing to her husband's side, Aiko dropped to her knees and tried to hold him, only to immediately let go when he yelled out in more pain as she inadvertently grabbed his wounded shoulder. "Dear? Oh God, your arm! Honey, please hold on. I'm going to call an ambulance. Please, just hold on."

While behind her, above all of their heads, wide terrified eyes watched.

Issei stared over the rim of his bed, having seen all that happened. His eyes jumped from his injured father, who rolled around in agony on the floor, to his panicked mother, who was only growing more hysterical with every second, to his sister, who was still splattered in their father's blood. When Karasuba happened to look up and catch his eyes, he flinched, and huddled further in his bed in fear.

Of her.

Fear of her.

"_**See?" **_Ddraig whispered smugly into her ear as she watched her world fall apart around her to the sound of her father's screams. _**"You **__**A**__**re a **__**M**__**onster. **__**E**__**ver**__**y **__**B**__**it **__**of **__**O**__**ne**__** as **__**I **__**A**__**m."**_

She ran.

Karasuba turned away and ran. She sprinted past her parents and out the door to her room before rushing down the hallway and onto the staircase. Taking two steps at a time, she hurried down the stairs and onto the ground floor before throwing herself towards the entrance of the house. Barely slowing as she pulled on the door and threw it open, Karasuba rushed out onto the quiet night streets and ran.

Without any direction or purpose, she ran.

Just ran and ran, until her home disappeared from sight behind her, until her mother's hysterical crying faded into silence, until the only sounds that could be heard in the empty streets were her bare feet hitting the road and the dark echoes of Ddraig's laughter trailing after her.

* * *

*_**Chapter End***_

**Author's Notes:**

**Blame God – that's what Raynare told Issei as she killed him in very beginning of the series, that if he wanted to blame someone for what was happening to him, he should blame god for putting the Scared Gear in him. It was then repeated throughout the series that the Boosted Gear was no blessing, but a curse, that for all the power it granted them, none of its former wielders ever managed to live happy lives and all died miserably. That even if you tried living a peaceful live, the Boosted Gear will draw all walks of Beings to you, never allowing you to live in peace and putting everything around you in danger. Suffering, that was what it meant to have the Boosted Gear. And so was one of the greatest lie in anime history was spoken.**

**O****f course, since DxD is a Harem/Ecchi/Comedy, ****we all know**** that did not happened, ****quite the opposite really. Issei's life, which was more or less ****unhappy one**** without any signs of getting better, became wonderful, almost heaven really, a****nd ****it was all thanks to**** the Boosted Gear. ****Without it, Issei's life would have been much worse than what it became.**

** But, I asked myself, what would happen if the Boosted Gear did exactly what it said on the Box?**

** That's how Karasuba came to be.**

**Karasuba in this story isn't Shirou's rival, - she ain't no Kenpachi, ****a juggernaut that fight only for the sake of it (though she is partly that),**** nor is the big bad wolf of the story, here, she's the **_**victim**_**. Karasuba ****was**** n****ever** **meant**** to be strong, she ****was**** me****a****nt to be like broken glass – cutting you even as it lay shattered. Haunted by the curse of the boosted gear – twisted her to near madness – until...well, I won't spoil it for you, but let's say that the twist of Karasuba's past is far from over.**

** In the DxD fanfics, we are so used to thinking of the Boosted Gear as the ultimate wish fulfillment device, that we never think about the consequences. I think that's why most didn't realise despite the hints I dropped throughout the story that Scared Gears are more than just magical power boosts. I think that was a big part of why a lot of fans hated Karasuba's reveal at first (other than her coming from a different series), its because every OC characters from DXD fanfics that gets the Boosted Gear become an extreme wish fulfillment Fic and they feared the same thing would happen here. In those OC fics, the character gets everything, power, girls, respect, and they give up nothing in exchange (at most a few weeks of training). But that's not how things work, everything has a price, especially power. Sometimes one too big to pay.**

** Issei was a normal teen who was unhappy with his lot in life, he had no girlfriend, no chance of getting one and was despised by practically the entire school. But he got the Boosted gear and his life turned great. He has girls, magical power, reputation, immortality and more.**

** Karasuba was the opposite she was a girl that was happy with her lot in her life. She had a family that she adored and loved her in turn, she was doing well in school and was on her way to becoming a first rate athlete. Then the boosted gear came into her life and turned it shit – a living nightmare. **

**She almost ended up killing her father. Did end up maiming him. That is the curse of those that hold the Boosted Gear. Never envy them, pity them. **

**Especially in this world where the Sacred Gear is matched to the user's soul.**

** Can you imagine what it would feel like to be told that you were a monster, a killer? That your very soul was a match to Ddraig, a beast that killed millions? K****arasuba ****was**** a monster who doesn't want to be ****one****. Imagine what it feels like to be scared of the monster under the bed, only to discover that the only monster in the room is the one sitting on the bed. You.**

** And another thing, this Karasuba isn't the same one from Sekirie. In that series**** Karasuba was ****artificially**** aged and raised for war – She had no parents, no one to ****love and raise**** her, and the people who took care of her saw her as nothing more than a living weapon. That's how ****and she**** ended up ****how she did****. But here, she had parents, was loved and ****cherished**** for her ****entire**** life. S****o**** how did she end up ****so similar to the original?**

** Even monsters were children some time. Even Killers, the worst dictator, or the greatest of humanity's monsters were once nothing more than weak helpless children, tiny babes who were just as scared of the Dark as you and I were. Many of you asked how somehow like Karasuba came to be in the DxD world, when she was born to happy loving parents here compared to being raised as a weapon of war in Sekirie.**

** Well, you're about to find out.**

** Ah, there is so much I want to say, but I'll save it to my forums (because the AN is growing out of hand) plus I don't want to spoil too much. Well, I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter, and don't worry, plenty of good part and twists and surprise are coming up in the next chapter. **

**The climax of the fight is coming, so look forward to it, and please make sure to leave a review on your way out. And thanks for reading.**


	23. Chapter 23: You don't need super powers

_**Author's Note: **_

_**Hello guys, been a while. Too long honestly. Now while I really wanted to make this one big chapter, for reasons I've explained in my profiled page (I won't repeat here because it will take too much space but read it if you want more of an explanation), I haven't and had to cut it much short than intended but worry not, I plan to give it my all to provide you with the best chapter I am capable of writing as soon as I can write it.**_

_**That's all for now,**_

_**Hope you enjoy the chapter.**_

* * *

**Chapter 23: - **

**You don't need Superpowers,**

**to become a Superman.**

* * *

_ In every fairy tale, there is a good side and a bad._

_The Hero and the Monster._

_In our minds, we always like to imagine ourselves as the hero,_

_The one who saves the world._

_But then who is left to play the monster?_

_There need to be two to enact the tale._

_Sometimes you don't get to choose who you'll be._

_There are things, when broken, that can never be put back together,_

_No matter how much you wish otherwise._

_That night, my world shattered._

_And it was when I understood. What Ddraig said was no lie._

_Every life is a story, a tale to be told._

_And in the story of my life,_

_The monster is me._

* * *

_What was a hero?_

_ No, perhaps the better question is: what makes a 'Hero' a hero?_

_ Was it their powers? Their super strength? Their magic or fighting skills? Was that what made a true hero?_

_ Or perhaps it was their appearance. Did a cape and costume make a person more heroic than one in plain clothing?_

_ Or maybe it was something more philosophical, like Good overcoming Evil. But if that were the case then what should happen if 'Good' were to lose? Did that mean they would no longer be considered a hero? Were heroes just the winners, or was it something else completely?_

_ It could just be that the hero was the one who killed the monster, a knight who slew the Dragon, the saint who brought down the Devil. Was that all there was to it? To become a hero, did I have to kill?_

_ Was that what it meant to be a hero? Killer by a different name?_

_ I didn't think so._

_ Archer probably wouldn't have agreed. He'd have said that a hero was nothing more than a fool. Bitter with resentment over his broken ideals, he would claim that a hero were nothing more than a sacrifice, or perhaps even humanity's butcher – he who kills the few so that the many do not suffer._

_ Kiritsugu, not the man who was my father but the man he was before the fire, was similar. He would have believed that a hero's duty was to save lives, no matter the cost. To kill the few to protect the many. That the end justified the means, even if it meant committing a lesser evil to prevent a greater one_

_ To them, that was what a 'Hero' was._

_ Me?_

_ I didn't believe either of these things._

_ To me, I think that a hero is someone who saves._

_ Not just a life, but to save someone so completely that they make their life worth living again. _

_ Killing had nothing to do with it. _

_ Neither did violence or super powers or anything else of the sort. A hero needs to be able to do one thing, and one thing only, to be called a 'Hero'._

_ To Save._

_ To me, that was what it meant be a hero._

_ Nothing else._

_ That was what I wanted to become._

_ That is what I will become. The one who saves._

_ Everyone._

* * *

"Ddraig, the killer of millions, proved himself to be exactly that." Karasuba stalked closer to deliver another strike. "A monster."

Putting all her weight behind the blow, Karasuba spun as she swung her sword at me while I danced back, skipping out of her reach.

"I…" What was I supposed to say to that? "You were only nine."

"You think Ddraig cared?" Karasuba asked with a perversely pleased smirk at the reaction her tale seemed to invoke. "About me? About a single child's happiness when the lives of millions failed to stir his heart? Did you think that the thousand years he spent imprisoned in the Boosted Gear would leave him feeling more sympathetic to the suffering of others rather than bitterly resentful over his captivity? If anything, time has only made him more cruel."

"But-" I was cut off as Karasuba made another attempt on my life, and I was partially grateful for the interruption because I couldn't think of anything to say.

Three strikes followed in quick succession, each meant to take my life. I barely noticed as my blades rose to bat them aside in pure reflex, my mind completely indifferent to the exchange. I couldn't bring myself to care about this fight any longer, whatever interest I may have had in it long gone.

_How?_ That was what I wanted to ask. How was Ddraig able to exert so much influence on his host? But I quickly realised that it didn't matter. No matter what the reason was, it didn't change the reality we were faced with, that through the Boosted Gear Ddraig was capable of manipulating the mind of its wielder.

Was that why the wielders of both the Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing had always been driven to kill each other? Even though the wielders were complete strangers, they always attempted to slay each other when they laid eyes on one another. Had they inherited that hatred through the link to the Dragons that dwelt within them? Was that the reason why, even after a thousand years, after having their souls ripped from their flesh and sealed away, the Red Dragon and the White Dragon still sought to kill each other?

Sparks erupted as our blades flashed between us, her attacks never stopping. Not even when she told me her tale had Karasuba let any opportunity to kill me pass her by, relentlessly swinging her nodachi with all her might every time she saw an opening.

I allowed her to press her attack while I tried to think of what to do but I couldn't, my head too filled with images of a broken little girl to be able to form a coherent thought. My mind easily provided me with the images of a nine year old girl, after being forced to watch as her own father was mutilated, fled to the streets, condemning her to a life of-

_"Ouch!" Karasuba hissed in pain, pulling her head away from her mother to glare sullenly up at her. "Mom, that stings."_

_"Oh, stop your whining, you big baby." Aiko brushed her daughter's complaints aside and gripped Karasuba firmly by the chin, holding her in place as she continued to treat her wound._

_Karasuba scowled in indignation at her treatment but obeyed, enduring her mother's ministrations while sulking in her seat like a petulant child._

-wait.

_WAIT!_

The air left my lungs as the revelation of what must have happened dawned on me, leaving me breathless.

"You were saved."

Without realising it the words slip past my lip. I hadn't said them loudly - they had barely been more than a whisper - but there must have been something in my voice because it actually caused Karasuba to hesitate. She paused half-way through a strike, her blade hanging in mid-air between us while she sent me a peculiar look and raised an eyebrow in question.

I felt a smile tugging on my lips that I had trouble keeping down before I decided '_To Hell with it_' and stopped fighting it, allowing the smile to fully bloom to life.

"You," I pronounced as I pointed at her with Kanshou, "were saved."

Driven from her family and all she knew, Karasuba had fled to the streets as a child, knowing that she could never return. Not after what had happened. After that night, there was no place left for her to call home.

But the reality before me contraindicated this.

Karasuba still had a home, a place to return to. She still had a family.

Just this morning, no more than a handful of hours ago, she had been sitting in the kitchen of her house, grumbling half-heartedly as she allowed her mother to worriedly fuss over her while her father watched on with fond amusement. It was a scene of a small and happy family enjoying each other's company – a scene that should have no longer been impossible. Not after what Ddraig had done.

Not unless she had been saved.

How else could she have returned to her home and still laughed so openly with her parents beside her after what had happened? What other reason could there have been for her to still be able to smile so freely unless-

It was like sunlight falling on my face, the warmth of it touching my soul.

Karasuba had already been saved.

Once, when I had expected to die, I called out for help even when I had been expecting none. On the day of the fire, surrounded by the charred corpses of the fallen, I stretched my hand out to the sky, hoping for someone to reach back to me. And to my complete surprise, somebody did.

Just as I had been saved from the fire, she too had been saved. Just as Kiritsugu had reached out for my hand that day, someone must have surely reached for hers.

As if confirming my suspicions, a smile bloomed on Karasuba's face. It wasn't the mocking one she usually wore, or even the hungry smirk that adorned her face at the prospect of battle. Instead, this was an honest thing, one that came from the heart, surprising me by how well it seemed to fit on her face.

"Yeah," she nodded firmly, "I was."

And wasn't that something?

"Who?" I asked, still unable to stop smiling. Was it the sage Sun Wukong? He should have had the power to pacify Ddraig, or could it have been-

"Who else?" Karasuba snorted and shook her head, fondness colouring her voice. "As if those two idiots would leave ever me alone."

"Your parents," I concluded.

Karasuba huffed out a light laugh and shook her head again. "After all that, you'd think that they'd know to leave well enough alone, but," she looked down to one side, sounding oddly shy though pleased as she almost-whispered, "they still came for me."

* * *

Footsteps rippled across streets sleek with rain, distorting the images of the darkened sky as the final drops of the dying rain fell.

Night had long fallen on the city, leaving its roads empty save for the late-night workers who rushed to their homes, trying to remain as short a time as possible on the streets. Though it was no sprawling metropolis, even a tiny city like Kuoh had its share of criminals that came out after the sun had long set and the line between late night and early morning began to blur.

The city at night was a dangerous place for anyone to wander alone.

But that night, something new roamed among the usual danger.

A child.

She walked through the seedy alleyway, carrying a steel pipe that was almost as tall as she was, dragging it on the ground behind her so that its bottom end cut through the water that puddled on the ground. She was a mess. Pyjamas soiled from the weeks she had spent on the streets, brown hair falling around her face in stringy clumps, cheeks smudged with grime and gaunt with hunger. All signs of a child that had been left, abandoned, to fend for themselves.

To any of the denizens of the streets, such a sight would have been like blood in the water and brought them all flocking. A child wandering the alone streets at night would have spelled one thing to them: _victim_. Weak, defenceless – _Prey_.

They learned their mistake soon enough.

It took only a single night for the usual gang-bangers to learn to stay away. The first group that tried to corner her in an abandoned building was left as nothing more than smears on a wall. The second group that tried shared a similar fate.

After that most knew well enough to stay away. It was not the first time something not quite human had wandered onto their streets, and it wouldn't be the last. Those who had lived long enough to learn the signs knew well enough to leave her alone. Or at least those wise enough did; those that didn't all ended up sharing the same fate.

The girl dragged her pipe through the alley, ignoring the way the few huddled forms lying on the ground – _beggars – _pressed themselves further against the wall as she passed, hoping not to draw her attention. She didn't even notice the smell from their unwashed bodies any more; her own state wasn't any better. And if she had spared them any thought, she wouldn't have looked down on them for their apparent cowardice. It was only natural for the weak to avoid the strong. They understood the way the world really worked and knew how dangerous these streets could be at night, from both the common criminals and those of the less mundane sort. All they could do to survive was look away and hope they would not get noticed.

_And still, knowing the dangers, they came._

It was the laughter that first drew her attention.

Brown eyes flicked to one side, a hint of disdain gleaming in them as she caught sight of the teens crowding one corner, a hazy cloud of smoke drifting over their heads. Obnoxious laughter bubbled from their direction, causing her to snort and turn away to carry on walking in another direction. She had no interest in involving herself with them.

It was the pleading, however, that caused her to freeze in place.

The girl stood rooted to ground, so overcome by shock that she found herself unable to move as she reconsigned the voice. Slowly, almost mechanically, Karasuba turned to look at the source of the voice, eyes widening with disbelief as she caught sight of her.

The frazzled-looking middle-aged woman stood before the group of teens, her brown hair unkempt and eyes ringed with shadows as she desperately pleaded with them, even as they barely seemed to react to her presence – either too stoned or too indifferent to care. But still she continued to plead, holding up a picture to their faces and asking something of them.

Even from here Karasuba could recognise the picture of herself.

The surreality of what she was seeing kept her rooted in place, her mind unable to comprehend what was happening. She could not even begin to guess why she was here or what she would be doing in such a place. She could do nothing but stare as Aiko – her mother – continued to fruitlessly beg for help. So there Karasuba remained, staring, unable to think of doing anything else.

Only when her mother, whom she had never seen look so tired before, turned to look away only to suddenly freeze did her mind began to work again.

It was almost shocking to watch, how the exhaustion that her mother appeared to carry like a physical weight seemed to disappear at the sight of her, her back straightening up from her slump and life seeming to rekindle in Aiko's eyes. She was too far to properly hear, but Karasuba could have sworn that as she stretched a hand out towards her, her mother called her name.

_Why? What was she doing here?_

The sheer impossibly of what she was seeing left her feeling so overwhelmed that Karasuba could only think of doing one thing.

She ran.

Without looking back, she turned and ran. Dropping the pipe in her haste to get away, Karasuba sprinted in the opposite direction from her mother, not responding even as her desperate pleas to stop followed after.

Dashing out of one alley and into another, Karasuba didn't bother glancing back to check if she was being followed as she ran for all her worth. Without a destination in mind, she navigated through the confusing maze that was the back-streets of the city without direction, only hoping to put as much distance between them as she could. She didn't even slow when she ran into dead ends, rather she just put on another burst of speed and leapt up the chain-link fences or brick walls and climbed over to the other side before dropping down to continue running.

It would be a long time before she stopped.

It was in a completely unfamiliar area of the city, another alleyway that ended in a dead-end, that Karasuba reached her limits and her feet began to slow as exhaustion began to take its toll. She wasn't sure for how long she had been running or even where she was, only that by time she finished drifting to a halt she was left completely out of breath.

Panting, Karasuba slumped over as she gasped for air, one hand propping herself up by her knee while the other held on to a wall for balance. Sweat dripped off her face, sliding from her forehead and off her nose as she took deep lungfuls of air, trying to regain her breath.

"There you are."

Karasuba almost jumped at the voice, her head snapping up towards the entrance to the alley where a figure stood blocking the path.

"Man, I must be getting old if you can outrun me." The voice sounded cheerful, if slightly out of breath. "I don't remember you being so fast. It wasn't too long ago when I could run circles around you without even trying, but now I can barely keep up."

Karasuba couldn't say a thing in reply and just stared up at the man, her brown eyes gleaming in the darkness as if wet when she looked him over.

"…Dad?"

Like her mother, he too looked tired, but more than that what surprised her the most was how _normal_ he appeared, as if the events of the last few weeks had been just a bad dream. He might have been a little thinner, his cheek bones more pronounced on his face, and there were more shadows under his eyes than she remembered, but other than that he looked the same. Exactly the same as he always did.

His hair was in its usual bird's nest of a mess. She knew he rarely gave more than a token effort at brushing it, and he was still wearing the same stupid white shirt and blue tie that he always seemed to wear to work. The top button was undone and the tie hung loose like it always was when he lounged around the house. If it wasn't for the sweat dotting his face, she could almost have made herself believe that she had caught him early in the morning, preparing for work.

And most importantly, he still had his smile. That same easy-going smile he always seemed to wear never faltered as he watched her with warm, familiar eyes.

Her mother always said she had her father's smile.

And just like that, it was almost like she was home again. If things were only slightly different, she could almost pretend that everything that had happened was just a dream, nothing but a long nightmare.

Almost.

Her eyes dropped from his face to his left side, where they lingered on the sleeve that hung listlessly by his side. The sleeve that his left arm was supposed to fill.

The left arm that was gone.

And just like that, she was back in the nightmare again, standing in a damp, litter-filled alley.

Her gaze lingered on his empty sleeve a moment longer before it rose to his face. After a time, Karasuba managed to swallow and, her chin trembling, voice quivering, she said, "...Daddy?"

"My, its been a while since I heard you call me that." Eyes crinkling with amusement, Ichirou shot his daughter a fond look before he began to step closer to her. "I thought you said you were too old to call me by that name any more."

Karasuba almost seemed to flush under her dirt-smudged cheeks but they almost immediately paled as she saw her father approaching. "Stay back!" she yelled out, scrambling back, trying to put as much distance between them as she could.

But her father didn't listen.

"No, I think not." Never taking his eyes off of her, Ichirou steadily closed the distance to the girl, his smile still light. "You've been away for far too long, Kara. It's time for you to come home."

"No! You don't understand, you need to stay away!" Karasuba kept backing away even as her father continued to stubbornly approach. When her back hit a wall a moment later, she glanced around in startled confusion as she found that she had retreated all the way to the end of the alley.

Unadulterated fear flooded her face as she realised her situation. "No! Don't come any closer, or I'll hurt you again!" Despite her words it was she who backed away, literally pushing herself into the wall in an attempt to get as far away as she could as if she were the one in danger.

Her father, however, calmly continued his approach, pace relaxed and steady, a stark contrast to Karasuba's growing panic as she continued to push her back into the wall, her feet skidding on the slick ground as they fought for traction. Like a cornered animal, her eyes wildly darting from side to side, she looked for a way to escape only to find herself surrounded by high grey walls with the only exit past her father.

Her head snapped back up in horror to discover that said father had almost completely bridged the gap to her, leaving barely a scant few meters between them. Her eyes quickly dropped to her left arm, watching it with obvious fear as if she was expecting it to grow fangs at any second and bite her, before she quickly scrambled to fold her arm behind her back, physically imposing her body between the appendage and her father, desperately trying to keep it as far away from him as she could.

"Please," Karasuba's eyes were filled with tears of terror as she pleaded with the man, "please, just stop, Dad. I don't want to hurt you anymore."

"And you think you can do that by running away from me? From your home?" He quirked an eyebrow, his tone lightly reproachful, but even then it held no real heat. He just shook his head before he carried on speaking, still smiling at her. "For someone trying not to hurt me, you really have an odd way of going about it."

Just when Karasuba was certain that her heart would leap out of her chest when her father became almost close enough to touch, he suddenly stopped.

Exactly two yards away.

Putting just out of her reach, he stood there patiently. Even if she stretched out her hand she wouldn't be able to touch him, and at that realisation Karasuba released a shaky breath, almost trembling with relief as she slumped against the wall. Then, drawing a deep breath in, she gathered herself up and looked up to her father.

She couldn't understand how he could still smile at her like that.

How after everything that had happened, after everything she had done, he could still smile at her in that way – just like he always had. As if nothing had changed between the two.

Then he did something even more incomprehensible.

He held out his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, Hyoudou Ichirou lifted his right arm and offered his last remaining hand to his daughter.

_ Drip_

A raindrop fell from the dark sky, splashing onto her face, but Karasuba couldn't even blink as she stared, wide-eyed, at the offered hand. The drop of water slowly slid down her cheek and to her chin, before dripping off onto the soaked ground. More raindrops began to follow as a light shower that could barely be felt began, sending tiny ripples running through the water pooling on the ground.

Two yards, that was the space that separated the father and daughter. A distance that was too wide for one to span, but close enough that if they both reached out to touch the other it was possible.

Two yards – a distance that only one hand could never bridge. It needed two.

"Let's go home." Ichirou said to his daughter. His brown eyes, though narrowed, still seemed to convey his sincerity.

Karasuba stared up at her father, not able to fully believe what was happening, before she hesitantly looked down at the offered hand. She watched it for a moment before shaking her head, sending her damp hair swaying.

"No." Heart in her throat, her voice came out strained, barely more than a whisper. "That's not possible anymore."

"And why is that?" Her father asked calmly, not moving an inch, still holding his hand out to her.

"What do you mean, 'why?'" She asked incredulously, almost gaping at the man. "Why?!" She repeated, her voice rising as she nodded to his missing arm. "That's fucking why! What do you think happened to your arm? Who do you think did that to you? Huh? Me, that's who! If it wasn't for me you-"

"So what?" The rest of her rant was cut off by Ichirou, who had been left completely unmoved by his daughter's words.

"So what?" Karasuba mimed, almost unable to believe what she was hearing before she huffed out a laugh. "So what? SO WHAT?! I'm a fucking monster, that's what!" She spat, snarling up at the man.

"Again," Ichirou interrupted her calmly, still smiling down at his daughter. "_So what_? What reason is that for you not to come home?"

"Are...are you fucking insane?" Karasuba asked, looking as if she was unsure whether she wanted to laugh or cry at her father's bullheadedness.

She choose to do neither. Instead, she got angry.

Hardening her expression, Karasuba rose up to her full height and glared up at him. "What part of 'I'm a fucking monster' do you have trouble understanding? You don't seem to be getting this, so let me make it perfectly clear." She locked her eyes with his, matching his warmth with her fire. "_I-Am-A-Monster," _she proclaimed, pronouncing each word separately, "a man-eating, fire-breathing Dragon. And Dragons are-" The rest of her words seemed to lodge in her throat, her voicing failing her as Karasuba bit back a sob.

The pitter-patter of raindrops grew, rising in intensity as water fell from the sky. The sound steadily built up until nothing else could be heard inside the alley but the splashing of water. It was as if the rain had cut the father and daughter off from the rest off the world, leaving them alone.

Karasuba managed to force back her emotions and turned her face upwards, letting the rain wash the start of tears off her face. Clenching the hand she still held folded behind her back in resolve, she steeled herself for what she had to do and spoke again, but there was no heat in her voice anymore. Whatever fire she had in her had been extinguished as if by the rain, leaving her sounding tired.

"Dragons are dangerous, Dad. To everything. Nothing can survive being around them – _us_ for long. It's why we have always been alone and why we always will be. Not because we choose to be but because everything that tries to stay near us just dies. And I..." Karasuba tried to force a quivering smile for her father but couldn't quite make it "...am a Dragon. And nothing is going to change that. No matter how much I wish things to be otherwise." She shrugged. "Just give it up, Dad. There is no other way. We are born into this world, and we die alone. That's just how things work."

Karasuba wiped her face with the sleeve of her right arm before raising her head to look wistfully up at the man. "Do you get it, Dad? Now leave. Just go away. Please. For me?"

Not waiting for his reply, Karasuba tilted her head upwards to look into the cloudy sky. Raindrops fell onto her face, stinging her eyes, but she still forced herself to keep looking upwards as she waited for her father to leave, not wanting to see it happen.

She would have to keep waiting for a long time, for he did no such thing.

When she finally looked down to see her father still there, Karasuba felt genuine fury fill her.

"What are you still doing here? I told you to go away! I'm not coming home!" she snarled at him, baring her teeth. "Now get!"

But again, he did not move.

"What? What more could you possibly want?" she pleaded with him, feeling drained. "What do you want from me?"

He just said, "To come home."

"_Don't you get it?" _Frustrated, weary and fed up, Karasuba screamed up at him._ "I can't stay with you! I can't eve__r__ come back! That's just how things are now! I'll always be alone-_

"WHEN WERE YOU EVER ALONE?!"

Karasuba was shocked into silence as her father shouted. She absently noted that she would have been reflexively stepping away were it not for the wall at her back.

It might have been the first time she had ever heard him raise his voice.

"When have you ever been alone?" His eyes were intent as he started down at her, his usual smile nowhere in sight. His arm, which he had not lowered until now, dipped as he leaned toward her until his face was only couple of feet away from hers. "I'm asking you. When in your entire life have you ever been left alone?"

Karasuba was stunned into silence, too confused at the change that had come over her father to speak, and maybe a little frightened.

"'Born alone, die alone', what kind of nonsense is that? When have you ever been alone? When?" Ichirou's eyes bored into her own. "Was it as you were growing up? When you had us, your mother, Issei and even me? Haven't we always been there for you? From your very first steps to your first words, we were always there, right from the very beginning. Even when you were born your mother was there for you, with me right by her side. I held you in your very first minute of life, so don't you dare tell me I left you alone. Since you took your first breath in this world we have been with you the entire time, right there by your side.

"Even in the womb you were not alone! _Even then_ you had your brother with you, right there by your side inside your mother. So tell me. When have you ever been alone?"

She felt as if the entire world had been turned on its end, the ground slipping from underneath her, leaving her unbalanced. Things that she had been so sure were true just a minute earlier were being brought into question, and whatever certainty she had held began crumbled at her father's words.

Her wits scattered, Karasuba gazed dumbly up at the man who sired her, unsure what to feel, before she managed to stutter a reply. "B-b-but Ddraig said that Dragons are born-"

"_Dragons_." Ichirou cut her off curtly, standing upright once more. "Not humans, not people, but Dragons. And while Dragons may be born alone, humans are not. _You_ were not. Before you were born, you were inside of your mother's belly as she kept you safe, you along with your brother who even then was by your side. And even afterwards, when you were born I was there, waiting by your mother's side. We were all there with you. And we never left."

The rain poured down stronger, soaking their clothes, leaving their hair clinging to their faces. Strangely, for all the cutting cold of the water, Karasuba felt warm.

"Its not just you." Ichirou continued, not at all bothered by the rain. "All of us are. There is no such thing as a human who came into this world alone, not without someone right there with them by their side. Not a single one of us has ever been born alone. A Dragon maybe born from an egg but, at least in the beginning, humans are never alone. The first sound we ever hear is the beating of our mothers' hearts. In our first moments in the world our mothers are right there with us. That cannot change. From the time we take our very first breath we have someone beside us. That is true for every one of us. There does not exist a human who was born entirely alone. And no matter what happens afterwards, whatever tragedy may follow, it can never change that when we first came into this world we had someone with us.

"Kara, don't you see?" Ichirou implored his daughter, trying to make her understand. "You have never been alone. Not once."

Rain continued to fall over their heads as they watched each, father and daughter, as one waited for the other to speak. An eternity seemed to pass before Karasuba opened her mouth.

"I…." she began, her voice raw with emotion. "...I..." she tried again, doing no better the second time. Once more she opened her mouth to speak, only to clench her eyes shut in resignation. "It doesn't matter." She shook her head and looked away. "None of it matters. No matter what you say, they're just pretty words. They won't change anything, not what I am. No matter how hard you try and pretty it up it doesn't change the fact that I'm a monster, that I'm a Dra-"

"_My daughter."_ Karasuba's head snapped up at him, surprise etched into her face. Ichirou watched his daughter with unwavering eyes as his usual smile slowly slipped back into place.

"If you are a monster then that makes me no less of one, for that would make me the father of a monster. If you are a Dragon," a hint of humour tugged on his lips before he carried on, "then I will be the Father of Dragons."

"You- *_hiccup_*" Karasuba, fighting to blink away the pinpricks of heat she felt in her eyes, resolve floundering, tried one last time to explain. "You don't understand."

"It is you who doesn't understand," Ichirou cut her off. "You are _my daughter_. Dragon, monster, Demon, none of that matters. It will not make a lick of difference. No matter _what_ you are, nothing will change _who_ are: Hyoudou Karasuba, my one and only daughter. Do you remember what I told you?" Seeing the questioning look his daughter sent him Ichirou clarified. "Why our family names come before our own names.

Comprehension soon washed away the confusion. "…Because family comes first."

"That's right." Ichirou nodded in satisfaction. "Family comes first. Always. Which is why if Hyoudou Karasuba has become a 'Dragon', well," he shrugged, "so be it. The father of Dragons I will be."

"Why?" Karasuba whispered, this time not even trying to fight the tears. "Why don't you hate me?"

A Smile. "What kind of father would I be if I could hate my daughter?"

"But your arm-"

"Is only an arm," He lifted his right hand and wiggled his fingers. "I have another one. But you? You're the only one of you I have. No matter how hard I look I will never find another Hyoudou Karasuba. There is only one. And if my arm is the price to keep you,-"

And again, without the slightest hesitation, Hyoudou Ichirou raised his arm and offered his last remaining hand to his daughter.

"-Then let the Dragon take it."

Fear bloomed on Karasuba's face and again she forced herself back against the wall. "Dad! What are you doing?

Ichirou ignored her and turned his focus from his daughter's face to the arm she was trying to hide behind her. "Oi! Dragon, are you listening? Do you want my arm? Here, go ahead and take it." Ichirou offered his arm as his smiled turned sharp, almost a barring of his teeth. "But I'm getting my daughter back."

Behind her back, the Boosted Gear surfaced over her left arm, coating her limb in a gauntlet of crimson scales and sharp claws.

_ "Dad don't! He really will-"_

_ "_A Father's arms," Ichirou cut her off, his gaze pinning her in place even as his smile turned gentle again "are made to hold his children – that is their sole purpose. If I can't do that, then I have no use for them. May as well let the Dragon take them both.

_ "But either way-"_

And once again, like that night weeks ago, her father offered her his arm.

_ Lost and afraid in a dark corner of her closet, it was he who came for her. Cowering in fear, he held out his hand to her, offering a way back into the light. And now once again, in the dark streets of the city, he came for her, holding his still open hand towards her._

_ "_-I'm taking you home."

Karasuba stared at the hand held before her face with something that could not be easily described. It was beyond simple wonder or disbelief. If there was a word to describe what that offered hand meant there, then it might have been -

_Salvation._

Back then it had been his left arm. Today it was his right. Somehow she knew, that even if he should lose this arm like he had his last-

-He would regret none of it.

_ Ah, that's right. He was always like this, wasn't he? Her dad had always been this kind of person._

Biting her lips so hard that they almost bled, Karasuba stared at the offered hand a moment longer before she began to move. Tentatively, fingers trembling, her whole body shivering, she lifted her right hand from her side and raised it towards his.

_I know. I know that this still changes nothing. _

Two yards, a distance one cannot cross – it needed two. And slowly, as if afraid that his hand would disappear if she moved too quickly, Karasuba's hand began to bridge the rest of the distance to his.

_ I'm still a Dragon, and Dragons are always alone -_

Her fingers brushed over his and she pulled back, hesitating.

_ – but people are not._

Then as if throwing herself at him, her hand leap the rest of the way and latched onto his.

_So maybe, just maybe, even a monster like me doesn't have to be alone. _

Her father's fingers slowly folded over her own as they slid into his hand. Tightly – gently – as if he'd never let her go again.

Tears pooled in Karasuba's eyes as she looked at their joined hands, not taking her sight off it even as her father pulled her to him. Allowing herself to fall onto him, Karasuba buried her face into her father's chest and, for the first time since she had run away from home, cried.

_Warm. So very warm. When was the last time I felt this warmth? To think __that__ I would be allowed to feel it again._

It felt as if it had been a long time since she had felt warm.

_"-Sorry, I'm sorry._" Karasuba could not remember when she had started speaking, buried in the warmth of her father, but by the time she realised it she was crying her eyes out in an endless stream of apologies as she rubbed her face into his chest. "_I'm sorry, Dad. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."_

Ichirou never said a word as he wrapped his single arm around his daughter, tucking her head beneath his chin. He didn't need to. They both knew he had already forgiven her long ago. Still, she apologised.

It rained – in the damp narrow alleyway, water fell from above their heads, as if the sky itself was crying alongside her.

"-Ichirou! Ichirou, where are you?" Vaguely, Karasuba recognised the sound of her mother's voice coming from the alley's entrance. "Ichirou, there you are. Did you fin– Oh, thank God you found her!"

Before she knew it, another set of arms were wrapped around her. "Thank goodness you're okay!" she heard her mother whisper into her ears as she sobbed in relief.

Karasuba cried even more.

_Turns out, even monsters cr__y__._

_If so, then maybe, just maybe, even monsters could be allowed to have a happy ending._

Behind her back, held carefully out of the way, the Boosted Gear stirred. The emerald gem embedded in the crimson gauntlet blinked, almost as if in confusion.

* * *

_***Chapter End***_

_**Author's Note: **_

_** A couple of chapters ago, Ichirou said that it was determination that made men **_**extraordinary****_. But it is courage, the will to do what is right when there nothing to gain and everything to lose, that make men _Heroes.**

_** What people forget is that when it comes to superheroes, it is not the 'super' part that's important, its the 'hero'.**_

_** You don't need super powers, to become a Superman.**_

_** I'll post the rest of my thoughts in the forum later tonight – don't want to take too much space – but I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks again for reading.**_


	24. Chapter 24:The Continuation of the Dream

**Chapter 24:**

The Continuation of the Dream

* * *

_ One night, many years ago now, a man who would one day become my father stepped into a fire, searching for someone, anyone, he could save._

_ Without a thought for himself he walked through a forest of blazing flames that could only be described as Hell, just so he could save a life._

_ And he did._

_ He walked back out again, carrying a child in his arms. The sole life he had managed to save out of countless that had perished. And though he had failed to save anyone else, Emiya Kiritsugu smiled for that single life he managed to save._

_ A boy who would one day become Emiya Shirou._

_ I still remember the smile he wore that night, the tears running freely down his cheeks as he thanked me again and again for being alive. At the time, looking at that smiling face, I could not help thinking that even though I was the one being saved, it was I who was truly saving him._

_ The smile he showed me that night was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen._

_ I decided then and there that I wanted to see that smile again._

_ I think that may have been how my dream came to be._

_ It never began from some noble ideal. Rather, it came from a child's simple desire to see that smile once again. And if it was possible to make someone smile like that just by saving them, then that was what I would do._

_ To see something so beautiful as that smile again, one that could make a dying child forget about the Hell he found himself in, I decided to become a Hero._

_Perhaps that was why, for as long as I can remember, I have always admired Kiritsugu Emiya._

_ To me Kiritsugu was a Hero, and nothing I learned about him afterwards ever changed that. To me, Emiya Kiritsugu would always be what I strived to be – my Ideal._

_ And to think, after all this time I would find another one._

_ There was nothing truly remarkable about him. Nothing to make him stand out: no powers, no outstanding presence. Even his appearance could only be described as ordinary. But nevertheless, in my eyes he was every bit a Hero as Kiritsugu._

_ Hyoudou Ichirou...huh._

_ Just as a man had long ago walked into a fire, hoping to save someone, he too had walked into the unknown to do the same. Where the first went to save a child that would become his son, the second went to bring back the child that was his daughter._

_He had done it without a drop of power._

_ But it still wasn't enough...in a way, he had failed._

_ Just as Kiritsugu had done._

_ It was almost funny how hard it was to truly save someone._

_ You can walk into a burning fire and dig through fields of burning corpses with your bare hands until you find a dying child barely managing to cling to life before taking him to safety, and still not manage to save a single life. When Kiritsugu walked back out of the fire, he thought he had managed to save at least one person._

_ He had not._

_ Not entirely._

_ Though he managed to save me from the fire, even my father could not save me from myself._

_ Kiritsugu carried the boy that would one day become his son out of the fire, and though he had saved him, something was left behind in the flames. A tiny but crucial piece of him was scorched out, leaving the child incomplete._

_ Broken._

Distorted_._

_ It was like the ticking of a clock with a missing gear. Though the hands kept moving, it was ever so slightly off. While indistinguishable at first, the difference in how it was supposed to be and how it truly was only grew more apparent with time. The minute hand lagged farther behind with every passing year, until the difference was too large and could no longer be ignored._

_ But by the time you finally realised that there was something very wrong, it was already too late._

_ And like the ticking hands of the broken clock, Emiya Shirou kept living like everyone around him, only ever so slightly off. And as time ticked on so did the difference between him and everyone around him grow, widening until he became something that could no longer be called 'human'._

_ Yet, even as others tried to warn him, their words never reached him, and so Emiya Shirou ended up walking down a path that would end up ruining him, smiling all the way._

_ It was a path with no end, an unachievable goal where victory was simply not possible, yet he still followed it, driven forward without paus__e__ until the day he died. And even then he would not stop, rising up from beyond the grave to keep walking down the same road._

_ That was how the Counter Guardian Archer came to be, a man who was forced to walk an eternity through Hell._

_ Which was why, though I felt exhilaration at hearing what had happened between Ichirou and Karasuba all those years ago, I felt no relief._

_ It was not over._

_ This was something that only I – a person whose life had been saved while my humanity was left behind – could understand. Just because you were saved did not mean you were not broken. Just because your heart kept on beating, did not mean you were alive._

_ There was more to living than the beating of the heart._

_ Just as Kiritsugu could not save me from myself, Ichirou couldn't save Karasuba from herself._

_ Though the boy emerged from the fire, something of him was left behind in the flames._

_ Though the girl was saved from the claws of the Dragon, something of her was left behind in its jaws._

_The job was only half done._

_ And now, as Karasuba finished speaking and raised her sword once more, I knew it was time for me to finish it._

* * *

All this time, it had been right under my nose.

I simply never noticed.

In front of me Karasuba charged, throwing herself completely at me, putting her entire weight behind every strike and grinning manically as she immersed herself in the heat of the battle. First Kanshou then Bakuya leapt up from my side in reply, matching each blow sent my way with one of their own. It was like a dance, the way we moved around each other in a whirlwind of steel, the ebb and flow of the battle, as we each took turns to attack only to fall back onto the defensive as the other retaliated, our lives balancing on a knife's edge.

I noticed none of it, too absorbed with the revelation I had stumbled upon.

In the back of my mind I felt everything come together, all the pieces falling into place. It was like the coming dawn clearing the mist from my thoughts, granting me for the first time a glimpse of the landscape I stood upon.

I understood now. It was so simple.

I finally figured it out.

I knew why Karasuba had come after me.

"...It was never me, was it?"

"Hmm?" Karasuba managed to give me a perplexed look between her strikes, looking as if she had no idea what I was on about. Despite her reaction I only felt my certainty grow and I pressed on.

"What you have been chasing after this whole time. It wasn't me. You were never chasing after me. What you were looking for was something else. I just happened to be carrying it."

I should have pieced it together sooner.

I was never that special. In both this world and in the last, there were many who stood leagues above me in ability and strength. Who were more unique, more powerful. Compared to them, I was nothing. Little more than an odd curiosity at best. There was simply nothing about me that would have warranted the obsession Karasuba had developed, especially not to the point where she'd willingly ignore the existence of the likes of Serafall and Sirzechs.

So it couldn't have been me,

Then if it wasn't me she was after, if it wasn't my fighting abilities, then what was it? What was it about me that caught her attention?

Well, there was only one unique thing about me. One thing that I could do that no one else could.

I could create a world full of swords.

From there, it wasn't that much of a leap to put the pieces together.

"So it was you all along," I realised, so engrossed in my thoughts that I no longer noticed the battle raging. "I had almost forgotten, but I remember now. There was someone else there. When I fought Kokabiel, there was someone else that I ended up dragging into my Reality Marble. That was you."

Months ago, I had killed an Angel.

With twelve great wings jutting from his back, he hung above me like a black star, a legion of Fallen soaring around him, so numerous they were almost beyond counting. I still remembered how their wings blotted out the stars in the sky and feathers fell like rain.

To combat such an army I had to call upon my strongest weapon: my Reality Marble. The manifestation of my soul and the source of my strength. And with their numbers so high, both Fallen and allies alike, it was impossible for me to pick and choose who to bring with me and who to leave behind. There were simply too many.

So I decided to simply bring them all.

And in my haste I mistakenly drew in a bystander, someone who belonged to neither side, caught up in our conflict by pure chance.

And now, having stood on its fields of grass, walked through the endless rows of swords and gazed upon its crimson sky where gears of iron hung in the air among the clouds, here she stood before me.

"Is that what you call that place?" Karasuba didn't even try to deny it as she pressed her attack. "A Reality Marble?"

I should have known it was her the moment she brought up Kokabiel.

She had mentioned a twelve-winged Fallen descending on Kuoh, pointed right at the school as she said it, almost as if she had seen it happen with her own two eyes. She probably had. By all reports she should have been back in the city by then, and yet I don't remember her being anywhere near that battle. And for the life of me I couldn't even imagine Karasuba ever walking away from a battle of that scale.

Turns out, she was there alright. I had just failed to notice.

"You've seen it."

It wasn't a question. If she had been there, then there was no doubt that she had seen it.

Karasuba paused, no longer pressing the attack as she hesitated, processing my words with a strange look on her face. Straightening up from her stance, Karasuba set the flat of her blade on her shoulder and turned her sights upwards, to the multi-coloured sky nearing twilight. Her eyes seemed to momentarily lose their focus as she stared, seemingly lost in its memory. Her hair was caressed by a stray breeze that picked up, pushing it to one side, before her eyes drifted shut as she smiled.

"Yeah. I have."

The smile she wore was a thing of beauty, so open and pure, one I could never have imagined coming from her. And just like that, any lingering doubts I had melted away like snow before the sun.

My Reality Marble, as fantastical as it could appear, could never have garnered such a reaction. Therefore it wasn't the Unlimited Blade Works itself that had captivated, but something _in_ it. And for all the countless treasures contained within the Unlimited Blade Works, there was only one thing it could have been.

One sword that stood above any other.

It really wasn't me she had been after all this time. It had been the light of the sword.

"Excalibur," I breathed. "It was never me you were after. It was Excalibur. I just happened to be carrying it."

She had seen it, the Sword of Promised Victory, the blade that resided within the heart of my soul. She stood among the endless steel set in swaying fields of grass in a world of perpetual twilight and gazed upon its light.

That sword, it shines, rejecting none from its light, welcoming all into its embrace. Beautiful in a way that the word 'beautiful' could not begin to describe. There was no way one could look upon it and remain unchanged, for it embodies what we all chase after.

"So that's it. That's what this is all about. You were chasing after the dream."

That was what she was really after. She was only looking for her promised victory, her happily ever after.

Karasuba lowered her head so that she was staring right at me, uncharacteristic smile still in place.

"What did you see?"

Her lips quirked. "_Yume,_" she admitted, using the word for 'dream' in Japanese, but somehow I got the feeling it meant so much more than that. "Nothing more than a beautiful dream, a fantasy so dazzling that it made me forget everything else."

She fell silent for a moment, turning her eyes to the sky again. _"_Hey," she almost whispered. "What I saw back then...can you make it come true? I want to see it again. For real this time."

I knew what she was asking, and I also knew it was beyond me.

"No." I shook my head. "That sword was never meant for my hands to wield. I'm not the promised King. I can't deliver the dream."

"Then where is he?" Not looking my way, she asked. "This king?"

I found myself hesitating to answer. "….Gone," I admitted, feeling the familiar pang of sorrow echo in my chest. "And she is never coming back."

"...I see." Her grey eyes still searched the skies, tracing something I could not see. "I had a feeling that might be the case. It always seems to turn out this way for me."

When she finally looked away from the sky I found myself staring into a pair of grey orbs set in a blank face, empty of any emotions. Eyes wide open, I felt them boring into me like a physical force.

Then she grinned. "Oh well." Eyes disappeared behind narrowed lids. "I guess there isn't any point in all of this anymore, is there?" She glanced to her right, towards the setting sun nearing the horizon – less than half an hour till sunset – before raising her sword off her shoulder with one hand.

"Hey, Emiya!" Shooting me an almost cheerful look, she called out. "Our time is almost up. Let's end this with one hell of bang before we die, shall we?"

Before I could even process her words I found Kanshou and Bakuya before me, my body instinctively raising the blades as it readied itself for the next attack.

Only this time, Karasuba tried something different.

Instead of charging at me or firing off another thrust of her sword, Karasuba pointed her sword down to one side and-

_** ...**_opened her mouth? For one long, uncomprehending moment I just stood, staring, as I braced myself for her next attack and felt just a tiny bit silly as Karasuba simply held her open mouth towards me. I had absolutely no idea what she was trying to do. Something flickered. It danced, a flame so tiny that I had to strain my eyes to see it. A spark, smaller than a single grain of rice, hung before her open jaws. Even the magic held in it was so insignificant that it was all but undetectable, lost in the ambiant magic generated by this artificial dimension. Even as I watched it flickered and wavered, as if it was about to puff out at any second.

** [Boost!]**

Then it doubled in size.

Again and again.

Like a balloon held under a faucet, the mote of light expanded, swelling as it doubled with each passing beat of a heart, until a spinning ball of pure energy the size of my fist hung before her open mouth, glowing with all the majesty of a tiny sun.

Alarms bells rang in my head as I took in the level of magic held in the tiny sphere, and realised just how much power it contained. Enough that I had no faith in my body's ability to take it and remain standing.

Somehow, despite holding her jaws open, Karasuba still managed to speak.

_"Dragon shot."_

Then she fired it.

Far faster than any mortal eye could track, it shot through the air, a crimson beam of light tearing its ways towards me like a bolt of lightning.

The single glance I caught as it flew told me that this wasn't something that I could take head-on and remain standing from afterwards, not with the waves of power radiating of it like a star. And it was already far too late for me to dodge. There was only one option left for me if I wanted to walk away from this unscathed.

Without a hint of hesitation, I allowed Bakuya to slip from my fingers as I raised my now empty right hand before me, palm forward, and intoned a single verse.

"_**His body was made entirely out of swords"**_

Hidden from any prying eyes, all 27 of my circuits burst to life, flooded with Prana as I brought the manifestation of my Unlimited Blade Works into my very being, changing my body of flesh and blood into something more.

When the beam slammed into my hand with all the force of a speeding truck, as if it were a physical thing rather than a construct of pure energy, my limbs did not bend. My hand held it back without giving way to the strain. Beneath me the road shattered, fracturing into a web of cracks as it cratered, forced to bear the burden of the pressure I place on it as I refused to be moved, the scarlet beam pressed into my palm releasing prisms of light in every direction.

The entire standoff lasted for a brief second before the beam began to fluctuate as it destabilised.

The eruption that followed immediately afterwards made me feel as if I was standing in the heart of a sun. Everything around me disappeared, swept up in a sea of flames, leaving me surrounded in it. It parted around my hand like liquid fire, falling to either side of me as if I held back the waves of an ocean.

The heat was suffocating, my body instantly bursting out into sweat only for it immediately evaporate before it could do much to cool me down, while my cloths began to smoke, scorched from the flames as they tried to wash me away like a tide, but otherwise leaving me untouched. My body's defences and innate magical resistance, further enhanced by the massive influx of Prana pouring through every fiber, protected me from the worst of it.

The light of the flames, however, left me near blind, so dazzlingly bright that I could barely make anything out beyond the fire, my hand nothing more than a silhouette held before my face. What little I did manage to make out through the light was the flames, surrounding me entirely. It was as if I stood in a world drowned in fire.

Despite its ferocity, the entire attack ended barely a second later.

The beam tapered off, leaving behind only fire and destruction as proof of its passage. Flames clung to the surface of the road, surrounding me with a lake of liquid fire, temporarily cutting off my view of the surroundings. But without fuel to sustain them the flames could not last and they quickly began to extinguish themselves, dimming until nothing remained but scorched earth and embers.

Once I was certain than it was over and no other attack was about to follow, I lowered my hand from before my face, the action feeling far stiffer than it was supposed to. My limb resisted the motion as the joints of my arm refused to bend, and I was forced to exert more effort than I was used to.

As I lowered my hand I caught a gleam of metal peaking from beneath the scorched flesh of my palm, where the attack had managed to break skin, the brief glimpse leaving an impression of overlapping steel. I focused my attention deeper into my body. Beneath my skin all twenty-seven of my circuits continued to hum warmly as they churned through more Prana than they had in a while before I stemmed the flood of Prana running through them. The sensation of my limbs responding freely to my commands now that they were no longer made of blades left me with a feeling of immediate gratification.

Ignoring the trickle of warmth I felt running down the palm of my hand, blood dripping freely from the wound now that there was flesh and blood beneath my skin, I turned my attention forward, back towards-

"...Karasuba?" I blinked, nonplussed when I found myself staring at an empty spot of land where the grey-haired girl had been standing. Blinking again, I glanced around myself, spinning in place only to discover that I was completely alone on the deserted street. Not even with my other more esoteric senses could I find her, her magical signature having disappeared entirely once more. Once again she must have temporarily disabled the effects of the Boosted Gear, reverting her magic supply to its near non-existent levels and rendering her completely invisible to my magical senses.

And left alone in the street of the empty city, I couldn't stop a sensation of dread from building up in the pit of my stomach.

_Something was very wrong._

I did not know what was happening, but every second I stood there in the abandoned street without being attacked set alarm bells ringing in the back of my mind. This didn't make sense. Karasuba had no time left. It was almost sunset, and if Karasuba tried to make this another game of cat and mouse where she tried to bait me into a trap I would win by default. There wasn't enough time. If she tried that then it was almost as if she was fighting like someone who had already given up on winning.

And if there was one thing I couldn't imagine happening it was that Karasuba would surrender a fight.

But as continued to I stand there alone on the street and no attack came, the sense of wrongness only grew stronger and I felt terror tighten its grip on my heart.

_Karasuba was going to die._

I did not know where that thought came from, but every minute that passed in silence only reaffirmed that impression. It continued to grow in my mind until the faint premonition I had had resolved into the absolute certainty that the grey-haired girl I had been fighting was going to die.

Another image flashed through my mind, this time of me standing over the corpse of a teenaged girl, dyed crimson under the light of the setting sun.

_Karasuba was going to die._

Again the thought flashed through my mind, and this time I couldn't pretend that it was a figment of my imagination. No matter how hard I tried to shake my anxiety off the feeling continued to build in my chest like a sludge.

And like a nightmare coming true, I heard her voice echo through the city.

"_**I, who am about to awaken,"**_

Words were just that: words. Sounds, syllables, vibrations through the air. They held no more weight or power than a clap of one's hand or the barking of a dog. The only meaning they hold is that which we give to them.

As a Magus, whose words can hold more meaning than most people's, I knew well that whatever those words portended could not possibly be good.

A primal part of me, the part of my brain that held no language, more animal instinct than thought, screamed out in terror. The fear of a child knowing with absolute certainty that there was a monster hiding beneath his bed, just waiting for an opportunity to grab their ankles and drag them under. Of cavemen huddled around a fire knowing that a predator lurked in the darkness, that a monster on a scale beyond imagining stalked the night waiting for them to step beyond the safety of the light cast by the camp-fire to devour them whole.

If ever there were words of power, they were these. It felt as if I could hear them with more than just my ears, the words reverberating in my very soul and stirring a deep part of myself that made me want to do nothing more than find a dark corner to hide in. There have been times when I found myself reacting, my body moving without thought, driven entirely by instinct, often saving my life. Then there were the times, such as when I gazed on Berserker's mad visage for the very first time, when the sight of such unmatchable might before me was so beyond my understanding that my brain simply shut down.

This was one of those times.

For a single heart-stopping moment I couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't even so much as think as my mind struggled to cope with what was happening, disbelief warring with the reality I was forced to face, frozen in place as an overwhelming wave of pure power washed over the entire city.

My head whipped to my left, eyes locking onto the peak of an apartment complex a few blocks away – one of the last buildings that remained standing for miles – where I could sense the build-up of incomprehensible power. For a brief instant, I could almost convince myself that despite what I had heard I misunderstood, that she wasn't about to do what I feared she was going to do.

Then those hopes were dashed.

"_**Am the Heavenly Dragon who has stolen the principles of domination from God,"**_

Juggernaut Drive.

The forbidden power that lay hidden within the depth of the Boosted Gear, granting the user a means to remove the limits placed upon the Boosted Gear and call forth the full might of a Heavenly Dragon.

And Karasuba was about to unleash it upon the city.

Whatever paralysis that gripped me left then and I burst into action, the earth shattering beneath my feet at the force with which I flung myself forward. Prana filled my limbs as I pushed them to the edge of their limit, uncaring for the consequences, knowing I wouldn't even have the chance to deal with them if I didn't manage to get to her in time.

The world was a blur as I moved as fast as I ever had, closing the distance towards the apartment complex with supernatural speed, not bothering to slow down and waste a single second even as I reached its base.

Instead, I leapt.

"_**I laugh at **__**the **__**'Infinite' and grieve at the 'Dream'"**_

Once again the ground cratered, my legs flexing before I launched myself into the air without the aid of my wings, not willing to waste the minuscule amount of time needed to unfurl them. Propelled through the strength of my legs alone I tore through the air, whipping past dozens of floors in less time than it took a normal person to climb one. I thanked whatever instinct that guided me then, for I had angled my trajectory just right and I found myself just managing to clear the lip of the building before my momentum ran out.

It was then that I caught sight of Karasuba.

It was one of those timeless moments where everything seemed to slow down, when split seconds could stretch out for days as time simply ceased to function. I hung in the air, having just cleared the ledge of the complex and waiting for gravity to take effect and pull me down so my feet could find purchase on the rooftop, when my eyes locked with hers.

She was on the other side of the rooftop, standing right on the opposing ledge, ponytail drifting in the air as it was carried by the wind. She was facing towards me, her back towards the drop, so she had a clear view of my arrival.

At the sight of me she smiled – and there wasn't a drop of malice anywhere to be found in it, only an emotion that I could not identify – her arms already held open in welcome as if she had been waiting for my arrival.

Then she spoke.

"_**I shall become the Red Dragon of Domination,"**_

The world began to tick on as time returned to its natural state.

Gravity took effect, and I dropped onto roof. The instant my foot touched its surface I launched myself towards her.

Fear gripped my heart as I ran, the roof disintegrating beneath my steps as I dashed forward, just as much for the girl before me as for the consequences of what would happen if I didn't stop her. Once the Juggernaut Drive began there was no stopping it. It would carry on running, wiping everything out of existence around it until it burned through the life of its wielder. The only chance I had of stopping her was right now, before she managed to fully activate it.

After that, no matter what I did, Karasuba would die. If I wanted to save her, I had to do it now.

Unfortunately, the girl in question wasn't going to make it easy for me.

Even as I narrowed the gap between us, Karasuba took a tiny skip backwards and fell off the side of the building. Our eyes locked once again, a moment before she fell over the edge, and she gave me one final smirk before disappearing from my sight.

I threw myself after her.

Unwilling to slow down I flung myself forward, latching onto the ledge of the roof just as I cleared it, using it to alter my trajectory and swing myself downwards. Dropping like a stone I rocketed downwards with all the speed I could muster, going as far as unfurling my wings and using them to propel myself faster.

Karasuba was staring up to me as she fell, her back to the ground. She actually looked like she was about to laugh at the sight of me, her lips curved upward.

_Even now, you still smile, Karasuba?_

Instead of trying to figure out what was going through her mind I focused all of my efforts into reaching her. Straining my wings, my hand stretchered out before me, fingers open in preparation to grab her, now only a few short feet away.

I didn't make it until it was far too late.

_** "And I shall sink you to the depth of crimson purgatory!"**_

At first,I thought it was a blade.

The line of light, so tall it reached up to the clouds behind me, shooting past my head and into the heavens. A shining beam of white so straight and narrow that I had almost mistaken it for the polished metal of her sword reflecting the sunlight. It pierced the sky, passing through the gap between my head and shoulder, stretching from the earth up to the heavens.

It was only when the beam began to descend and brushed the edge of the building we leapt from that I finally realised what it was.

The grey concert wall of the apartment didn't split at its touch, it didn't melt, it was _vaporised,_ disappearing into a haze of mist. The light continued to descend on the building, cleaving it entirely in two, leaving behind a molten sludge that burned a fire red at the edges of its passing.

It didn't stop at the building.

The beam of light continued onwards, literally stretching toward the horizon, disappearing somewhere in the distant sky where even my eyes couldn't see. Then, as if the sky itself had been cut, a tear in the sky trailed after the beam, as the beam managed to punch through the boundaries of the artificial dimension we fought in, allowing me to catch a glimpse of what lay beyond. A never-ending landscape, iridescent ripples fading in and out of existence – the Dimensional Gap – a sight that hurt the eye just to look upon.

Thankfully for both our sakes, the artificial dimension seemed capable of mending itself and it repaired the damage. The rend in the sky faded away almost as quickly as it had appeared as the fabric that made up the boundaries of the dimension pulled itself together.

And as for everything that stood between us and the sky? Gone, mowed down by the beam. Nothing had even slowed it down. From the nearby buildings to the distant hills, everything gave way to the narrow beam of light with equal ease, evaporating instantly at its touch.

Even compared to the destruction Karasuba brought down before, it all paled compared to what she was capable of now.

My eyes snapped forward, tearing away from the sight of the beam and onto the quickly approaching ground that I was about crash head first onto. Flipping myself over, I dismissed my no longer needed wings and continued to drop through the air like a stone. My previous momentum carried me through until I crashed to the earth, fracturing the pavement and sending pieces of concert sailing through the air.

Around me, superheated clouds mingled with the dust of my descent, forming a billowing cloud that obscured my vision - the clouds of vaporised concrete from the now-ruined apartment complex Intermixed with my kicked up dust and rubble. The air around me was scorching hot, scalding my throat so that it almost hurt to breathe. I wasn't sure if it was caused by the attack or not, but the temperature of the air was heated to the point where I would have outright died had I still been human. As it was, the heat still irritated my lungs.

Though the clouds obscured my sight, it didn't matter. I didn't need to see her to know exactly where she was. The level of power she was exuding was so mind-boggling that she could have been standing on an entirely different continent and I would still been able to sense her.

Turning to face the direction where I knew she was standing, I warned her, "You'll die."

"I don't care," came from the haze before Karasuba stepped through, revealing herself to my eyes.

There were scarcely any reports available on the Juggernaut Drive. Its destructive and suicidal nature assured that any witnesses unfortunate enough to lay eyes on it were unlikely to survive. But what little of them did survive all agreed on was that the Juggernaut Drive took the form of a full-bodied armour crudely moulded into the form of a Dragon – crimson armour for the Boosted Gear and a pale blue for the Divine Dividing. While there may have been some variations between wielders, they were usually cosmetic in nature. For all intents and purposes the physical forms of the Juggernaut Drive were identical copies of each other.

Naturally, Karasuba's resembled nothing like those from the report.

Just as with her Balance-Breaker, her Juggernaut Drive was not a visually impressive sight. I might have even gone so far as to call it underwhelming were it not for the suffocating level of power that she wore around her like a cloak.

Incandescent lines ran beneath the surface of her skin, emitting crimson light that shone through her flesh. They criss-crossed over her body like tattoos, stretching over every inch of skin, engraved lines of geometric patterns that immediately brought to mind magic circuits. The air around her body shimmered as she moved, as if her skin was made of fire.

"I've decided." The words fell smoothly from her lips, unhinged by her sharpened teeth, while slitted pupils watched me carefully through emerald eyes. "Fuck it all." She spat the words out even as her eyes crinkled in amusement. "Let's end this all now."

She had given up.

I don't know why it surprised me so much, but it did. Whatever her plans and intentions were at the start of the fight, they simply no longer mattered anymore.

Karasuba had given up.

The Juggernaut Drive was known as the Boosted Gear's ultimate technique for more reasons than its power. It was a suicidal ability. It fed on the life-force of its wielder, granting them immeasurable power at the cost of shaving away their life. It was like burning a candle on both ends but a thousand times worse.

Only unlike a candle, there was no way to put out the flame.

Even as I watched, I could sense her life-force dwindling away at an alarming rate. What should have lasted a life time could now be measured in minutes. The Juggernaut Drive was killing her as surely as a knife to the heart would. And there was no stopping it now that it had begun.

Karasuba was dying.

There was no stopping this.

Even as the realisation struck me, my thoughts began to race. Mentally I began to search through my Unlimited Blade Works, looking for a solution, something, anything that might be able to save her. And while my mind rushed through the innumerable blades held within me, I tried to stall for a little more time.

"Karasuba," I began, trying to say something that would stop her from using the power and burning through more of her life-force, anything that would give me even a few more seconds to think of a way to save her, but I couldn't think of anything and simply settled on "w_hy_?"

"Who knows?" She replied, never taking her slitted eyes off me even as her voice held a tint of amusement. I caught a hint of razor sharp incisors peaking between her lips. "Maybe I simply refuse to lose. Victory, even at the cost of my life." Then there was a shift in her expression, and she smiled, eyes narrowing into slits. "And here I thought you'd be happy."

I don't think whatever expression I managed to wear could have properly managed the sheer incredulity I felt. "How the Hell is this supposed to make me happy?"

"Because, _Hero_," she purred, "this will solve all your problems." The crimsons lines running over her body seemed to pulse as she held her arms open once more. "A monster stands before you, one that will bring death and disaster wherever she goes. And here's your chance to stop her. All you have to do is kill the monster before she has the chance hurt anyone else...if you can."

The pragmatic part of me – the part that spoke to me in Archer's voice – pointed out that she was right. And I couldn't help but loathe myself a little bit for even thinking it.

In a way, it was the ideal solution. Let one girl die in order to save everyone else. One for the lives of many.

Even if I managed to find a way to stop the Juggernaut Drive – which I wasn't sure was even possible – I couldn't allow Karasuba to remain as she was. If she stayed in Kuoh, everyone in the city would suffer. The disasters that flocked to her would make sure of that. Even if she moved, all she'd be doing was taking the danger someplace else. There would still be victims, only different ones, with different names and different faces. No matter what I did, sooner or later, people were going to die. The only way to prevent it was to stop it at the source.

Once she was dead, everyone else would be safe and the Boosted Gear would be lost for another generation at least, posing no danger to anyone else until it was once again reincarnated back into the world. If I wanted to save the maximum amount of people, there was only choice.

I had to kill Karasuba.

"So, Emiya Shirou," she spoke, as if reading my mind, "will you kill me?"

It was as if the whole world froze as she asked me that question, and a memory of someone who spoke those same words to me came flooding through my thoughts.

_"Emiya Shirou." __Under the swaying leaves, he sat on the bench across __from__ me, sunlight falling down on him like the rain. The Ang__el__ was smiling at me __with such kindness, I felt as if nothing could be wrong in the world. "Will you please kill me?"_

I did not know how long I stood there, lost in the memory of the Angel I had killed, but before I knew it I found myself clenching my teeth together so tightly that my gums had started to bleed.

_Again! Am I going to let it end the same way again?_

Is that all I am capable of doing? Is the only way I can save anyone by cutting someone else down? Is the only why I can save everyone is killing someone? No, I refuse to believe that. I refuse to allow that to happen again.

"No, not this time. Even if you're fine with it, even if you could end up dying with a smile, I won't accept it. I refuse to let anyone die. Not like this. I won't allow it. I'll create an ending where everyone can go back home alive."

There was no expression on her face. Karasuba simply stared at me, eyes fully open on a face deprived of emotion. "...Man, I hate you." She said at last. "But it doesn't matter, it's already too late. I'm already dead. And I'm going to take you with me."

"No, you're not." I stepped forward as I poured every bit of conviction of into my words. "I won't let you die. I _will_ save y-"

* * *

I must have blacked out. It was the only explanation I could think of.

Some people compared losing consciousness to falling asleep. It wasn't like that at all. While there were many similarities between them to an outside observer, they were two fundamentally different states. For one thing, you don't dream when you fall unconscious like you do when you sleep. Your mind doesn't create the brainwaves necessary to dream, so most people have no memory of the time they lose consciousness. To them, it is like no time passes at all from the moment they fall unconscious to the second they wake up. From their perspective it feels like they blinked, only to suddenly find themselves someplace else.

Which was why when I opened my eyes and found myself hurtling towards the side of a house, I knew I must have blacked out. And while that knowledge was in some ways comforting, in the sense that I wasn't completely confused by my situation, it didn't make the following seconds any less painful an experience.

The wall erupted into splinters, the speed my body was hurled through it enough to cause it to disintegrate on contact before I went blasting through the rest of the house. I tore through a half dozen more walls and who knows how many pieces of furniture, all in a blink of an eye, before I broke through to the other side of the house and crashed into the road.

Even then I didn't stop. My momentum was so strong that I ended up breaking through the tarmac, my body partially burying itself into the earth beneath, and still I kept going. Like a comet crashing onto the earth I tore a trench through the road for a good hundred feet before I finally slowed to a stop.

It was an odd experience to find myself half buried in the earth, mouth tasting like dirt from the soil I accidentally ended up swallowing, while every inch of my body ached and I had only the vaguest idea how I had even gotten there. The killer headache I had wasn't helping either, nor were the spikes of agony that I felt running through my chest whenever I tried to breathe. _Fractured ribs, _my mind helpfully supplied_._ And as if that wasn't enough, there was a spot on the left side of my torso, a little bigger than a fist and located about a foot under my shoulder, that felt like I had been hit by a battering ram.

All in all, it was safe to say I felt like crap.

Slowly, so as not to aggravate my injuries, I began pulling myself out of the earth. That wasn't as easy as it sounds as I was actually buried in it, with most of my upper body under ground level, making it almost impossible to gain any leverage. So to pull myself out, I had raise a hand up to the edge of the broken road I had torn through and use it to pull myself up and out of it.

Carefully, I got back onto my feet, doing my best to fight the wave of dizziness that hit me as I stood up. Broken pieces of tarmac spilled off me as I took the opportunity to look around and regain my bearings, spitting dirt from my mouth as I did so. A quick glance told me I was standing on a long stretch of road situated between a tiny shopping district and rows of old-fashioned wooden houses, and for the life of me I had no idea how I got there considering that my last memory was of me standing nowhere near this place.

_Okay. What the __H__ell happened?_

It was only a second later, when I glanced through the hole I had made through the house, that I had my answer. There were only a few moments in my life when I can honestly say that my jaw dropped in shock, and this was one of them.

Correction, it appears I was wrong. I _hadn't_ been knocked through a house. I had been knocked through _houses._ As in _several dozen houses_. Most of which did not look much of a house any longer because, after having my body crash right through them like a wrecking ball, have collapsed into jumbled heaps of splintered wood.

It took more than a little bit of will power to force myself to look away from the ruins of what were once people's homes, some of which were still in the process of falling to the ground, and up to the figure of what could have only been Karasuba standing at the other end of destruction.

She must have been miles away at the very least, nothing more than a tiny speck in the distance. Forcing Prana into my eyes I reinforced my sight, causing my vision to zoom in towards Karasuba as her image was immediately brought into focus. Just in time for me to see her wave cheerful directly me – somehow able to see me despite the distance separating us – before she lifted her nodachi and pointed it at me.

Having experienced being on the wrong end of _that_ particular attack enough times already, my body reacted immediately to the threat. Without conscious thought the married swords Kanshou and Bakuya leapt into my hands, appearing into existence, and knowing exactly what was coming I crossed the two blades before me, right in front of my chest-

"_Huh?"_

I blinked, feeling oddly cold, barely noticing the drop of blood that spilled from the side of my mouth and down my chin. My eyes had a little trouble focusing, my vision oddly fuzzy, so I had to blink a couple of times before I could focus my sight on the oddly grey, thin line that stretched all the way from Karasuba to me. It was almost as if someone had tied a grey rope between the two of us, and for several long seconds I honestly had no idea what I was looking at.

Until I lowered my head and turned my confused eyes downwards, to my chest.

"_Oh," _I mouthed, both in comprehension and disbelief.

Piercing straight through the middle of both the married swords was a thin metal blade, Karasuba's nodachi. It had punched through not one, but two Noble Phantasms, and after that it clearly had no difficulty doing the same to me as I found the blade burying itself into my chest. Though I couldn't see it, I could feel the point of the blade exiting my back – missing my spinal cord by about an inch instead of cleaving it in two – the steel grey of its metal no doubt dyed red with my blood.

And yet, despite having a long column of steel running through me, it was not the sight of the sword skewering me that left me so shaken. It was the sight of the hole poking through the middle of the black and white Chinese swords that my had mind reeling.

These were not ordinary swords but Noble Phantasms, weapons out of myth and legend crystallised into physical form. They were only copies to be sure, but copies good enough to stand by the side of the originals and not be left wanting. And yet when they met the thrust from a nodachi made of mundane metal it was they that gave way. They couldn't even slow it down. I had felt no impact in my arms when the nodachi had shot through my blades, no resistance. Karasuba's blade managed to pierce through Kanshou and Bakuya as easily as if they were made from air. I may as well have been holding nothing at all for all the difference it made.

It was a sobering reminder of just how powerful Ddraig really was.

I spent a few seconds longer than I should have staring down at the nodachi that skewered through both my chest and my swords, before I finally managed to force myself to look away and up to Karasuba – only to find her lowering the nodachi down to her side, the blade having reverted back to its original length.

My mind, still numb with shock, was only beginning to realise what that meant when I felt my body began to fall. Without the nodachi pining me in the air and propping my body up, my legs could not find the strength to support my own weight and they gave way as they folded beneath me. Kanshou and Bakuya slipped from my nerveless fingers and clattered to the ground as I dropped to my knees, just barely managing to stop myself from falling any further and collapsing onto my face.

"Emiya," I heard coming from right behind and above me.

The sound of her voice was enough to shock me from the lethargic state that clouded my thoughts and my head snapped up, eyes widening with surprise. It almost sounded like Karasuba, but that couldn't be possible because Karasuba was right in front of -

She wasn't there.

The spot where she had been standing on the other side of the line of ruined houses was empty, which meant…

Slowly I turned my head back, and looked up the figure looming over me.

Karasuba smiled down at me, her mouth disturbingly wide and full of teeth, as the lines drawn across her skin continued to burn like pseudo circuits. Whatever cuts and bruises she had received throughout the fight were gone, all having healed, while to my senses her body continued to radiate power. So much so that I had no doubt she could have wiped the entire city off the face of the world in seconds if she had so wished.

Were it not for the way I sensed her life-force dwindling at an alarming rate, I would never have believed she was dying.

Karasuba made no move to attack. She just stood there watching me through reptilian emerald eyes that looked so wrong on her face, with that disturbing smile sitting on her lips, while she casually thumped the side of her nodachi on her leg as if lost in through.

Then I found the edge of the nodachi set against my throat.

I could barely to begin describe what happened. She didn't blur, that would have implied that I _saw_ her move. I hadn't. One moment her nodachi was by her side, beating a rhythm on her leg, then it was at my throat, and I had no idea how it got there.

It was less like she had moved and more as if she had flickered out of existence in one place and reappeared in another. It reminded me of one of those old fashioned movie reels played on an antique projector, only with several frames cut out from the film so that characters kept jumping from place to place on the screen without anything linking the movement together.

And right now here I was, on my knees with a blade pressed against my throat, a hole punched through my chest, with the only thing keeping me alive and my head attached to my shoulders the whim of this grey-haired girl.

Normally, I would have felt certain that I was all but dead.

But as I stared up at Karasuba, who in turn smiled down at me, I knew she wasn't going to kill me. Not yet. Not until she had her fun. I recognised the look she was giving me all too well. It was something I had seen on Illya's face in the early days of the Holy Grail War.

The face of a predator wanting to play with its food.

This wasn't about winning any longer, not to her. In her mind she had already won. All that mattered to her now was about drawing out as much pleasure as she could before she killed me.

Had this still been a battle, a fight between equals, I would already be dead. At this point there was nothing I could do to stop her from taking my head off, not with the massive difference in speed between us. But this wasn't a battle any longer. It had stopped being one the moment she drew out the Juggernaut Drive. Now this was a hunt.

A game where one side could only run and hope to get away before it was eaten. And though she could end the game right here and now, a single twist of her blade and I'd be dead, like a bored cat she wanted to play with her food for a little longer before she ended it.

And with that flash of insight, the start of a plan began to form in my mind.

Arrogance and pride were both things I knew how to take advantage of. All I needed was the right weapon to make it work.

And I had a lot of weapons.

_A hundred Noble Phantasms flashed through my mind, eagerly answering my call, ready to come into reality with a thought, and I began to search through the treasures of legend for the one most suited to the task._

Karasuba looked at me with a knowing smile on her face, taking pleasure in my reaction as I took in my situation. Her grin grew just a little wider and she dug the edge of the blade into my throat, the blade easily parting my flesh and allowing blood to spill freely, but no further than skin deep. She held the sword there for a long second, as if to make sure I understood my position. Then, with the same flicker of invisible movement, the nodachi was by her side again.

_ Most I ended up discarding immediately, as they were lacking the one trait that I needed the most. Speed._

"Are you done?" She tilted her head and smirked down me, her emerald eyes dancing with mischief and sadism.

"Not quite," I answered, mind whirling.

_My thoughts lingered momentarily on Excalibur Rapidly – one of this dimension's Excalibur fragments – but after a brief instant of consideration I dismissed the fragile blade almost as quickly as I had the others. Too slow._

"Oh~?" She arched a brow, smirk widening. "And what do you possibly expect to achieve by continuing?"

Despite her question, she looked quite pleased by my continued desire to keep fighting.

"To save you."

_Balmung_, _the sword of the German hero Siegfried the Dragon slayer. Forged from the legend of _Gram, _the sword of its origin, it was both a holy and demonic __weapon__. Which __aspect __of its dual nature it reveal__s__ depends entirely on __the __nature of __its__ wielder. Having tasted the life blood of the Evil Dragon Fafnir, it was bestowed with Anti-Dragon properties in an addition to the potential, upon activation, to capture Karasuba within the range of its attack. But th__at__ very same wide-spread destructive nature would leave nothing of Karasuba behind should it hit her, __and it was __thus cast aside._

_ The Trap of Argalia, beloved lance of Argalia, knight and prince of the kingdom of Cathay. Lacking the capacity to pierce thorough plated armour or enchanted defences, it was nevertheless said __to be __capable __of__ bring__ing__ anyone to their knees. A single touch would cause the finest of horsemen to stumble off their steed, and make even the mightiest heroes fall. A perfect weapon to capture an enemy alive. But in resolving the lethality issue of Balmung, it lacked the ability to counter Karasuba's speed. Still it held some promise, so I mentally set it aside before I carried on to the next._

_ The Cursed Spear of Cu Chulainn, Gae Bolg – with its power to reverse causality – I didn't even bother to consider before immediately rejecting._

"For the last time, Emiya, I can't be saved." Karasuba held out her hand, bringing attention to the crimson lines that adorned it. "Once the Juggernaut Drive begins it can't be stopped. I'm going to die," her smirk grew hungry, "and I'm taking you with me."

"We'll see about that." I fired back with a grin of my own. "I've always been bad at dying," and wasn't that the understatement of the century, "and I'm even worse at standing by and allowing others to die in front of me."

_More weapons whirled through my mind, hundreds, then thousand__s__, then more, all laid out before me as I looked for the perfect possible blade._

Within me, Avalon's power continued to bolster the already supernatural healing abilities granted to me as a Devil. Already I could feel strength return to my body, my wounds repairing themselves and sealing shut. Discretely I twitched the toes of my feet, confirming that I had regained at least some control over my legs again. Just a few seconds more and I'd have recovered enough to fight.

"Even if I have to cut each one of your limbs off and pin you to the ground before ripping the Boosted Gear straight out of you, I will save you," I declared, looking straight into her eyes.

_Fragarach – __Gouging Sword of the War God -__, __Aestus Estus -The Embryonic Flame – and Ascalon – The Blessed Sword By Which Force is Slain – were equally considered, assessed and discarded._

_ No, not enough. I needed something faster._

"No," Karasuba replied almost sadly, her smile dimming. "You won't." Her smirk returned in full force. "But promise me one thing."

_Daishintou – Sword of Transcendent Wisdom and Knowledge –? _No, faster still. _Kazikli Bey – Execution Lord –?_ _Even faster! Diatrecon Aster Logche: Spear-tip of the Star Traversing the Skies–?_ _**Faster!**_

"What?" I asked.

_Within_ _the darkness of my mind it gleamed, like the moon reflecting off the surface of a lake, the length of its steel edge defying common sense._

I felt myself smile.

Perfect.

Karasuba's smirk turned bloodthirsty. "Try not to die too quickly."

I was already moving before she finished speaking, rising up to my feet and spinning to face her in one fluid motion even as my hands curved around the hilt of a sword that wasn't there. But only for the moment. It came into existence in a flash of turquoise light, a blade so long it could only be described as absurd. A weapon forged from the legends of man.

How could I describe the sword in my hand other than 'long' and 'elegant'? Both words were true yet they failed to adequately describe the blade. It was simplicity itself in design yet managed to hold a refined beauty, almost like a work of art. Cobalt blue cloth wrapped around the hilt of the weapon that may have been called a Katana were it not for its ludicrous length, its flawless blade taller then some men and equally as sharp as it was fragile.

This was the Monohoshi Zao.

And it was not a Noble Phantasm.

Though this was a sword from legend it was not a 'crystallised mystery', nor was it the symbol of a Heroic Spirit. There was no Hero tied to this sword, only a myth of a man who had never even existed. A legend born from pure fantasy. Thus it lacked the power to match the weapons of true Heroic Spirits. In the end, for all of its beauty, it was only a mundane sword.

And yet it in my mind it could still stand among the ranks of Noble Phantasms and not be found wanting. The true value of the sword lay not within the make of its steel but in the history engraved upon it. In the skill of the nameless swordsman who bore the false name of 'Sasaki Kojirou'.

And as I held it in my hands I drew upon the skill of the man who failed to engrave his name into legend and yet whose godlike swordsmanship was unparalleled even among Servants. A man who could stand among gods with nothing but a mundane blade in his hand. And now, as I swung the sword at Karasuba, that fabled skill was mine to wield.

What began as a single flash from the sword turned to three as multiple simultaneous strikes converged on Karasuba, the laws of physics bending not from magic but from skill alone. Each strike followed curving paths, graceful arcs that did not flow in straight lines, imprisoning Karasuba.

It should have been slow, these curving strikes that did not travel the shortest path to the target, but they weren't. Each swing came so blindingly fast that even Servants of Saber's calibre had trouble following them. Each strike converged on my target from three different angles simultaneously, blocking any hope of escape. Should she try to escape from one, the other two would reach her.

This was called _Tsubame Gaeshi _– the fabled human technique that could match a Noble Phantasm.

I could see the surprise in Karasuba's face, the sheer disbelief she felt as her mind struggled to comprehend what her eyes were telling her. No matter how much power she held or knowledge Ddraig had bestowed upon her over the years, watching a mere sword strike fueled not by magic but pure skill alone as it disregarded concepts such as time and space would have given anyone pause.

And in the that slight pause, all three strikes closed in on her.

Normally, all three strikes would have been aimed to kill. The first strike coming with overwhelming speed created a circular horizontal arc, while the second slightly slower vertical slash cut off the escape route, and the third vertical strike kept the enemy from escaping to the side, all strikes working in tandem to overwhelm the enemy and create an unavoidable attack.

But that wouldn't have worked against Karasuba.

In the end, she was simply far too fast. Even with _Tsubame Gaeshi's _space and time bending powers it wouldn't have been enough to catch up to the divine speed of the Boosted Gear. Even factoring in the delayed reaction cause by her shock it wouldn't have been enough. I had no doubt that if it came down to a race between these sword strikes that would have given even the fastest of Servants pause and her currently augmented speed, she could easily manage to outpace all three strikes. That was how overwhelmingly unfair an advantage the Juggernaut Drive granted her.

Which is why I altered the course of the strikes. Instead of making an inescapable web of strikes, I made one that covered escape from the side and the front, leaving a single escape path behind her. It was a deliberate opening, a way out that I was practically inviting her to take. All Karasuba had to do to escape from the web of strikes before her was to take several steps backward and momentarily retreat.

In other words, run away.

Pride could kill a man as easily as any weapon, and Dragons were ever a prideful race, rarely ever willing to run or bend knee to anyone no matter how hopeless a situation they found themselves in. And though Karasuba was still physically human, I was banking that there was enough Dragon in her to have inherited their pride.

Perhaps if I had been someone she considered powerful or even an equal at her current state, it may not have worked. There was no shame in backing away from a truly powerful enemy. Even Ddraig wasn't reckless enough to challenge the Great Red, for there was no loss in Pride by avoiding one such as he. But what about prey? Was there such a thing as a Dragon willing to back away in fear from its prey?

At this moment, Karasuba no longer saw this as a battle. It was a hunt. Karasuba didn't consider me an opponent that could challenge her but as mere prey she could take down at any point, kept alive only to entertain her before she killed me. Just like a cat playing with a cornered rat.

But what would happen if, instead of running away in fear, the tiny insignificant rat tried to bite back? Now that the rat she had cornered was about to clamp its fangs around her throat, what would she do? Jump away in fear and out of the little rat's range, or stand her ground and take the blow even if it meant her life?

In the last moment, in the brief instant just before the strikes landed, I could see the shock clear away from Karasuba's eyes, replaced with comprehension. Along with hesitation. She knew she had to make a choice, either to stand or to retreat. Be cut down or run away. It should have been an obvious choice, but for a creature with a Dragon's Pride it wasn't. Then the hesitation cleared away from her face, leaving behind only a manic smile, and I knew then that she had made her choice.

Karasuba wouldn't retreat.

The first strike came from her left in a slight angle, aiming to sever her hand at the elbow, the second was a low horizontal swing that was set to cut both her legs from under her, while the last was a vertical strike that would have cleaved through her right shoulder.

I was about to cut all of her limbs off.

It was a drastic measure, but one that had to be taken. I needed to find a way to deactivate Juggernaut Drive before she burned away more of her life-force, but I couldn't look for one and fight her off at the same time. I already planned to put her back together later – reattaching limbs was a simple procedure when it came to magic – but for now I needed to put her down and stop the Juggernaut Drive, no matter the cost, even if I had to turn her into a quadruple amputee to do it. Everything else could wait until that was done.

Each of the three strikes landed on target, and I could feel the impacts reverberating up the sword as its edge bit into the flesh of her skin and -

Fragments of steel spun through the air, reflecting my shocked visage like so many broken pieces of a mirror. I couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the hilt of the sword, where only three inches from the shattered blade remained.

"Oi, Emiya." Karasuba's smirking visage was there to meet me when I looked up. "I already told you, didn't I? My Sacred Gear's internalized."

On Karasuba's arm was a jagged tear above her left elbow, proof that my strike had landed, revealing the flesh beneath.

It was then I saw them.

Scales.

Countless overlapping scales.

They burned crimson, the colour of blood in sunlight, peeking out from beneath the parted skin. Without having to be told I knew that they covered every inch of her body, surrounding her flesh like a second skin and protecting it like armour. The crimson scales of the Welsh Dragon Ddraig that even the fists of Gods could not shatter.

Even as I watched her wound healed.

The edges of the cut began to pull themselves close, drawing into each other as if they were being zipped up from both ends. A haze of Steam began to appear from where the edges met, obscuring the wound from sight, only to disappear a heartbeat later, leaving behind unblemished skin where once was a jagged cut.

"Do you see?" Karasuba bared her fangs, "This is why you don't save monsters, Emiya." A wind happened to blow then, obscuring one half of her face with her hair. The single emerald eye that watched me was like a shard of ice.

"You kill them."

Twin swords birthed to life in my hands, blades of fire and darkness that seemed to send ripples through reality. A streak of red tore through the air, drawing a line of fire with flames hot enough to burn through even a Dragon's scales. The flaming sword leapt at Karasuba but before it could reach her its advance came to an abrupt stop as I found a hand clamping onto my left wrist, trapping my arm. Then, before I could even think, she snapped my arm in two. A scream of agony threatened to escape my throat as I swung with my other hand, a blade so dark it seemed to absorb light held in its grasp.

Karasuba didn't even bother looking as she caught my other wrist. Her emerald eyes remained locked onto my face while her unoccupied hand seemed to vanish and I found my right arm stopping before it could deliver a blow, held in place by her unrelenting grip.

However, before it could share the fate of my other limb, I tilted my head to the right, and I took great pleasure in the look of shock on Karasuba's face as she caught sight of the golden lance shooting towards her face.

Her eyes widening in alarm, Karasuba released my limbs and dodged in time to avoid getting skewered by the ornamental weapon, hidden until then by my head, and I wasted no time taking advantage of my newly found freedom. As the lance shot past me, I latched onto its shaft with my remaining working hand and swung, even as I projected Excalibur rapidly in my non-functioning hand to bolster my speed. I thrust three times before twirling in place and swinging the weapon wide, not in an attempt to land a telling blow on Karasuba but simply touch her with the lance – the Trap of Argalia – and bring her to her knees. I knew that if I could just stop her from moving for a moment, I could end this.

But Karasuba proved impossibly agile, refusing to be pinned down. She easily swayed out of the way of each of my strikes even as I brought the lance twirling around, bending over backwards almost double, somehow managing to remain firmly on her feet as the ivory and gold lance sailed over her face, missing her by inches.

Then in that flicker of impossible speed, she disappeared from before my eyes, and I found myself holding the shaft of another ruined Noble Phantasm, the lance having been cleaved entirely in two. I barely had the time to let go of the now worthless weapon and begin projecting a new one when I caught sight of Karasuba standing next to me.

Considering the speed with which she could move, I was certain the only reason why I saw what she did next was because she let me.

Releasing her grip on her nodachi, Karasuba curled each finger of her right hand into a fist, a vindictive smile sitting on her lips, before cocking her arm over her shoulder in an obvious wind-up.

The Aria was already on my lips as I spun towards her, my entire body turning to iron and sharpened steel as I held my arms crossed in front of me in a guard, left arm over right. When Karasuba's clenched fist crashed into my arms with a punch so fast that I did not even see her hand move, it was not flesh and bone that she fund meeting her knuckles but wrought iron and steel.

It still didn't stop my bones from breaking.

My left forearm snapped, contorting around her fist as it rammed my crossed arms with such devastating force that it drove my arms into my chest, like a steering wheel in a car crash, before completely lifting me off my feet and launching me through the air.

The following several seconds were nothing but a sensation of weightlessness followed by a blur of pain as I bounced off the road like a stone flung over water, skipping on the tarmac at speeds that would have stripped the flesh from my bones and pulverised my organs had they not been made of iron instead of blood.

As it was it only hurt.

A lot.

In the time between bouncing off the road and sailing through the air like a human bullet before crashing briefly against the ground again, I managed to come to the conclusion that this was probably what happened when Karasuba managed to knock me out the last time.

Somehow, despite literally tumbling head over heels, I managed to coordinate myself enough to twist my body and land feet first. And _still_ I wasn't able to stop myself, the momentum pushing me back with enough force to send my feet skidding against the tarmac as I continued rocketing backwards. It was only after I leaned forward and buried my feet so hard into the ground that they literally buried themselves into the tarmac that I managed to bleed enough momentum to grind to a halt – leaving another set of trenches in the road.

I had just barely managed to bring myself to a complete stop, only to look up and find Karasuba already standing before me, nodachi pulled back in a thrust that would have ripped a hole through my throat had it landed.

I didn't even have the time to call upon any of my swords and was forced to shield myself with just my arms, raising them into the path of the oncoming blade. It pierced through my already mangled left forearm with ease, the blade hardly slowing as it carried into my right arm and still showed no sign of stopping. In a fit of desperation I twisted my forearms, turning them in opposite directions in an attempt to lock the blade in place before it skewered my throat. And, miraculously, with a screech of metal, the blade began to ground to a halt, impossibly sharp tip stopping less than an inch away from my Adam's apple.

Swallowing, I ignored the sensation of the blade brushing again my throat and focused my attention on Karasuba, whose eyes where wide open in stunned shock.

"Emiya," she began, emerald eyes wide as they locked onto the shredded skin of my arms, where metallic blades found their out into the open. Slowly she managed to pull her gaze away from my arms, a look of astonishment that bordered on awe plastered on her face. "Just what the Hell are you?"

"A sword," I answered simply.

It was even the truth.

Her eyes narrowed as she searched my face, trying to gauge my sincerity. She must have seen something there because all of a sudden she lost her grip on her sword, wrapped her arms around her waist and laughed. A surprisingly pleasant sound.

"You know," she began, chuckling as she straightened up, a touch of wonder still colouring her voice, "I think I just might believe you."

The Boosted Gear needed direct physical contact to share its power. Without Karasuba maintaining her hold on the nodachi it had reverted back to being mundane steel instead of a physics-defying weapon. With nothing more than a twist of my wrist it shattered, freeing my limbs as I yanked my arms apart, and with a single quick leap back I put some distance between us – not that it would have mattered seeing how fast she could move.

Never taking my eyes away from Karasuba, I tried to examine the state of my arms from the periphery of my vision and had to repress the urge to grimace at what I saw.

My left arm was ruined. Everything from the elbow down was a mangled mess. Had I any blood left in my veins, I was sure I would have quickly lost it through all the holes I had in that particular limb. The only relative bright spot of the entire situation was that my right arm had managed to come away relatively okay. Other than some missing skin and the narrow hole running through it, which was already quickly being filled by more blades, it was completely functional. But that only meant I was further handicapped to fighting with only one arm against an opponent that was thoroughly kicking my ass when I still had two.

I had to finish this fast before I found myself in even worse condition.

If Karasuba was at all bothered by the loss of her weapon she didn't show it, having already pulled out a new sword, holding it down to one side. Her eyes narrowed as she smiled at me, seemingly content to wait and see what other tricks I might be able to pull out of my hat.

Taking advantage of the brief lull, I took the chance to look over Karasuba's condition.

What I found was not encouraging.

Power surrounded her, one that would be paid for with her life, but she appeared fearless. Even as the Boosted Gear burned through her life-force, there was no hurry, no rush to end things. She waited patiently, almost serenely, not a single hint of concern for herself as she quickly died, her life slipping through her fingers like grains of sands in an hourglass. Instead she stood before me with all of the confidence of a conquering empress surveying her lands, holding herself with all the surety of one knew that she could not be touched. All the while she drew from a well of power so vast and deep that it felt as if it had no end.

I knew better.

The strength that she carried herself with was an illusion, no more real than a dream and just as fleeting. Already I could tell that she had lost entire years from her life, perhaps even decades. Her life-energy was literally being dissolved into the power she was bathing herself in. At this rate by the time everything ended there wouldn't be anything left of her to save.

Unless I wanted to be standing victorious over the corpse of a sixteen year old girl, then I had better win soon.

It was time to put an end to this.

"It's over, Karasuba," I told her. "It's my win."

"Really?" She smirked, all teeth. "How do you figure that?"

Instead of answering with words, I lifted my good arm and pointed straight up to the sky.

Karasuba arched an eyebrow, clearly bemused, but nevertheless obediently complied with my unspoken request and looked upwards.

I could tell the exact moment she saw them.

The entire time we were fighting, I knew I could not win. Not in a straight up fight. Not against someone fully empowered with the might of a Heavenly Dragon, a beast so powerful that it was capable of driving away the entire might of any of the Three Factions alone. I had no illusion of the results of such a confrontation. I had never been the most talented fighter, and I never will be. My strength did not reside in my skill with arms, but in the weapons themselves.

The countless blades that lay in my Reality Marble, my Unlimited Blade Works, were my true strength, my most powerful weapon. I was sure that if I fought in there, there was no enemy I could not match, no matter how strong they may be.

That brought me to the crux of the problem.

Karasuba knew that too.

She had seen my Reality Marble at work, stood beneath its golden sky filled with ever-turning gears, walked among its fields of blades. She had seen what befell Kokabiel and knew the danger it poised should I bring it to bear. And most importantly of all, she had heard my Aria.

The moment the words left my lips, I had no doubt she would cut me down before I finished a single verse.

The greatest weakness of the Unlimited Blades Works was the time needed to summon it, time that she wouldn't give me. However, there was a solution to that problem.

They had gathered in the sky as we fought, hanging above out heads, unseen by all.

It first began with one. Shining like a star, a single golden sword hung in the sky. Then came a dozen more. God-forged steel and Dragon-slaying blades alike. Thrice-cursed steel followed by blessed iron. They numbered in the hundreds, the thousands, and still more came. Masterpieces of metal, treasures of old, they hung in the sky, stretching out for miles, shining like an ocean of stars. Each was a blade out of legend, a Noble Phantasm, and every one capable of piercing a Dragon's hide. It was a sight that would have put the world's greatest treasure vaults to shame.

Just because I couldn't bring her to my swords didn't mean that I couldn't bring my swords to her.

A single mental command caused a ripple to run through the curtain of steel, as every sword began to tilt on its axis, only stopping when all their tips were pointed down at us and all that surrounded us.

"My, aren't you full of surprises." Karasuba only gave the swords above us an amused, lingering glance before looking back at me, completely unconcerned by all the weapons pointed at her.

I could not tell if it was confidence that was the source of her calm or arrogance, but without waiting to see how she would act, I spoke. "Trace bullet, fire."

From the heavens they rained, treasures that would see the world rich a dozen times over. Near twelve thousand swords fell, streaking to the ground like shooting stars. They didn't descend one at a time or in groups but all at once in a single massive wave. They fell as an avalanche of steel, leaving no place to escape on the ground below.

When quality cannot do the job, use quantity.

If I couldn't land a hit with a single blade, then I would use a thousand and carpet bomb the entire area with me right in the middle of it. I had nothing to fear from my own swords. A single thought would dismiss any projections before they could come close to hurting me, and I could do the same to any immediately lethal blows to Karasuba. Even under the hail of sharpened steel, I was safe, but anyone else around me? Not even the scales of a Dragon would keep them safe from harm.

There was nowhere to run. Even with her speed Karasuba would not be able to escape the range of the bombardment. The only choice left to her would be to try to cut the blades down before they reached her but even that would not work. There were too many falling too fast and too close together, each one crafted with felling a Dragon in mind.

Whatever Karasuba chose to do, run or stand, her fate would be the same.

Naturally, Karasuba chose to do neither.

She simply stood there, uncaring for the arsenal of blade falling upon her head.

They fell, shining like streaks of light as they converged on the grey-haired girl who showed no sign of reacting. She didn't try to run or even lift her blade to defend herself. Instead she continued to stand with the supreme confidence of one who knew that they could not be touched.

And in the very last second, just as she was about to be ripped to shreds by a dozen swords and I prepared to de-construct some of them so that she might survive the experience, when their edges were about to brush the edge of her skin, Karasuba acted.

She spoke a single word.

_**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

The swords disappeared.

All of them, an entire treasury of weapons, gone as if they were never there at all. Wiped from existence, leaving the sky clear.

Even as I craned my neck, I couldn't find a single one. Not in the skies, not on the ground, not even towards the horizon. They were gone. I would have believed she had erased them from existence were it not for the tentative link I held with all of my weapons telling me they still existed somewhere in this world.

I could still sense them, though barely, as if we were separated by some great distance. Though exactly where they were, I had no idea. So I turned to the only one who knew, the grey-haired girl who calmly stood before me.

Seeing my confusion, Karasuba simply smirked and pointed just as I had a minute ago, upwards, towards the sky.

I understood.

Turning my gaze up the empty sky once more, I reinforced my eyes, flooding it with as much Prana as I dared to. It was only when my vision was enhanced to the limit, when I could see hundreds of times further than any human would be capable of, that I saw my swords.

Falling to the earth like shooting stars.

Karasuba, hadn't erased the swords. She had Boosted them, or rather, she had Boosted the distance between them and her. Sending them so far away that they might have been in the stratosphere for all I could tell.

In a single instant she had Boosted the distance between the swords and her from inches to miles.

This was Ddraig's power.

The power of the Heavenly Dragon that brought Gods low, the unrestrained might of the Crimson Emperor that sent an entire Faction fleeing in terror. It was at that moment, when I was finally beginning glimpsing the scope of the power I faced, that I began to comprehend the bitter truth.

I realised then and there that I could not win. If I pitted my strength against that of Ddraig, it would be I who would be found wanting every time.

High above the swords continued to fall, only gaining further momentum as gravity pulled them back to the earth, but the angles were all off. With the added distance from the Boost, their trajectories would take them miles off target. So instead of crashing around us in our immediate surroundings, they fell across the entire city like a bombardment.

What little remained standing in the city fell before the onslaught, buildings and towers alike crumbling to rubble as tens of Noble Phantasms tore through them with no more resistance than if they were paper, only to continue and ram into the earth with such force that tremors ran through the city,leaving behind craters meters wide. It was like a meteor shower, a storm of shooting stars falling throughout the city like rain, wiping away everything that stood before them on their way to the ground. Even the husks of the fallen skyscrapers were not spared, erupting into fragments of rubble as Noble Phantasm tore through their fragile frames.

Even what was not directly hit was destroyed. The shockwaves made by the blades as they passed or hit the ground were so strong that they shattered every window in the city. Cars were propelled down the road by their force, slamming into each other or flipping over entirely when they were no longer able to keep traction on the ground before they were buried as buildings came tumbling onto them.

And in heart of all it all stood Karasuba, untouched by the destruction that befell the city. Not a single one of the twelve thousand Noble Phantasms came close to reaching her.

When the wave of swords finally ended, all that was left were the crumbling remains of what once was a city and a cloud of debris so thick it blotted out the sun as it rose up to the sky and spread throughout the ruins. Before I knew it I was surrounded by a thick blanket of dust that left me blind to my surroundings, so thick that I couldn't even see the sky.

All around me the sound of collapsing buildings could be heard, the destruction of the city still ongoing even after the rain of steel had ended. But above even that noise something else could be heard.

Footsteps.

I stared straight ahead at where the sound came from, steadily growing stronger, just as a silhouette could be seen approaching through the haze.

"Is that it?"

The dust trailed after Karasuba as she stepped out of the haze, unwilling to relinquish its hold on her. It trailed behind her like a cape, clinging to her back, and instead of dispersing only seemed to grow larger with her every step. It began to fold into itself, morphing into something far larger, hints of what looked to be scales appearing in the swirling pattern of the haze.

Soon it began to take a shape, and what it was could no longer be denied. Looming over Karasuba, it trailed behind her like a shadow come to life. From the crumbling dirt and debris its reptilian head formed, swinging from side to side on a long, serpentine neck with every step it took.

Ddraig grinned.

"In the end, is that all you could do?" Karasuba's emerald eyes burned with an inner flame as they regarded me with cold indifference, paying no heed to the shade of the Dragon trailing behind her.

I didn't answer, or rather, I couldn't. I wish I could say that I was setting up another trap, that I had another trick up my sleeve but the truth was that I had nothing. Everything I had tried had failed. All the plans I could think of would no longer work now that I knew what she was fully capable of.

I was all out of cards to play.

I racked my brain, looking for a single desperate plan or strategy that might be able to turn things around, only to come up empty.

I had nothing.

She drew closer, her steps calm and steady. "This is what I am." The look she wore on her face was a cold promise of death. "And in the end, not even you could change anything."

Then she grinned.

The rage on her face washed away, slowly fading until it was as if it were never there, leaving behind something I could not quite name. "Ha! I don't know what I was expecting." She shook her head with a smile. "Guess it was my own fault. I already knew it would end up like this, but I couldn't stop myself from hoping."

_Now its time to extinguish that hope. _

I'm not sure if it actually spoke or if I simply heard it in my own mind, but the words sounded as if they came from the Dragon that loomed over her head.

Whether or not Karasuba heard Ddraig speak, it didn't matter, because in the end she simply laughed."I get it. I get it already, I-"

There was something on her face. An emotion that I could not identify, as she screamed out so loudly that it echoed throughout the empty city.

"_**I – AM – DRAGON."**_

It was a boast, a warning, a wail of despair, a roar of defiance and a cry for help all wrapped into one.

Her scream didn't end until she ran out of air to scream with, and just as her voice died out a pin-prick point of light appeared before her open jaw.

_**[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[Boost!]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]**_

A sun was born.

The haze of dust was swept away, a shockwave of displaced and superheated air pushing it back, leaving behind a pocket of crystal clear air. And in the middle of it all was a miniature star that seemed to flood the world with light.

It felt as if I was looking at the dawn after an endless night, an eruption of light so overwhelmingly bright that it made everything appear dark in comparison, casting the rest of the city in shadows. The fist-sized sphere of light hanging before Karasuba's open mouth released so much energy that the air around her shimmered, heated by the mere proximity to the tiny star as even Karasuba's clothing began to smoke from being so close. She wasn't even aiming that attack at me. Instead it was pointed downwards, straight towards the earth a few yards ahead of her, as if she intended for the attack to detonate there and simply wipe everything in the area out of existence.

With one look, I knew there was nothing I could do to stop the attack. It had already formed, the gathered energy just waiting for the right trigger to set it off. Even taking Karasuba down now wouldn't be enough to prevent that tiny sphere with power enough to erase entire mountain ranges from detonating. And we were standing on what was about to be ground zero.

As if matters weren't bad as it enough as it was, I sensed Karasuba's life-force dip considerably, as if she was literally fueling the attack with her own life.

It was then, paralysed with indecision, unable to think of a way out, that I heard his voice.

_If you cannot defeat your enemy with the weapon you do have, then imagine one with which you could._

Advice given to me long ago, from a man who wasn't certain if he wanted to kill me or save me.

As if summoned forth by his words, a weapon appeared in the forefront of my mind, waiting for me to call upon it.

A dagger.

An iridescent and jagged blade, it was thin, brittle, blunt. So unsuited to being a weapon it could not hope to kill a single normal person let alone one such as she.

A blade that could not kill, simply sever.

It was exactly what I needed.

With all the desperation of someone who knew he had no other choice, I ran. Dagger coming into existence in my hand, I charged _towards_ the sphere of power, towards the girl who was about to unleash an attack that would snuff out both of our lives.

By the time I closed the gap, she had finished.

The sphere pulsed once before launching itself forward towards the ground, just as I reached her side and stabbed that dagger into her chest.

The world was drowned out with light.

* * *

_My body burned._

_ It was as if I had been set aflame._

_ The sensation felt almost familiar._

_ A feeling from long ago._

_ Ah, I remember now. It reminded me of back then._

_ When I survived something that could only be described as Hell._

_ Once I walked through a place where everyone wanted to be saved._

_ But none were._

_ They just died._

_ Begging, pleading, they perished in the flames. Wanting to be saved, only to find no one there to save them._

_ I walked through the fire, ignoring their cries and their pleas for help._

_ I couldn't help anyone._

_ I couldn't save anyone._

_ Not even myself._

_ I didn't have any hope of surviving. All I could do was force myself onwards, just for a little longer, before I died._

_ That was all I could do._

_ At the time I felt that since I was still alive, I should try to live on, even if only for a little bit longer._

_ And when I couldn't carry on any longer, I fell to the ground to die._

_ I never had any hope of surviving in the first place._

_ And yet, I was saved._

_ Till this day, I do not know why._

_ Why only me?_

_ Why was I the only one saved...when so many others died._

_ Why was Emiya Shirou the only one permitted to walk out of that fire?_

_ I do not know._

_ I doubt I ever will._

_ But in the end, it doesn't matter._

_ Because of what I saw that day._

_ A memory, the one thing I remember other than the flames._

_ The smiling face of the man who saved me, even as I saved him in turn._

_ I knew, even then, that was my purpose._

_"_Hey."

_ A black boot made its way into my sight and I realised I was lying on the ground._

_ Though it hurt to move even a finger, somehow I managed to turn my head enough to look up._

_ He looked so different clad only in a black shirt and pants, his red coat nowhere to be seen._

_ His dark eyes watched me, and then he spoke._

"That's Hell you're walking into."

_He was right._

_ This was Hell._

_ My body burned. My throat ached, my eyes stung._

_But still-_

_ "I know, Archer." My eyes drifted shut for a moment. It hurt even to speak. "I know."_

_ My burns flared and I placed a hand onto the ground and pushed myself up, barely managing to lift my head off the ground. "But there is something in there that I have to do."_

_ Somehow, despite all of my limbs shaking, I managed to get my feet under me._

_ "There are still people left in that Hell, crying for help."_

_ My legs barely managed to support my weight, shaking so badly that they threatened to topple over any second, but I still managed to rise up._

_ "Even if there was no reason why I survived that day, then at the very least I will make sure that no one else will have to live through such a Hell ever again." I took a stumbling step forward. "I decided that was the reason why I – why Emiya Shirou survived. To save others."_

_ Without turning to look his way I walked forward, barely managing to avoid stumbling._

_ "_Even if such a life will be that of a machine?"

"_You're wrong." I kept on walking, concentrating on putting on__e__ foot in front of the other. "It's not only them that I will save. I promised you, didn't I? I'm going to save myself too. I will make sure all of us make it out of this Hell together."_

_ I didn't look back. _

_ I wonder...what kind of face he was making?_

_ But in the end, it didn't matter._

This was my only path.

* * *

I awoke to the sound of laughter.

My eyes slowly began to flutter open. My face was pressed to the ground. I could feel pieces of gravel digging into my cheek, and as I fully opened my eyes I found myself staring at a charred lump of metal. Everything was still a little blurry and I had blink a couple of times to realise that I was staring at my own hand.

Pinpricks of embers still burned in the blacked flesh as steam wafted from the limb. My skin was almost entirely gone, leaving the muscle, or what little remained of it, exposed to the open air. Most of it was gone, and what was left clung to the equally black bones of my arm. The smell was nauseating. Every breath I took filled my nose with the scent of my own burned flesh.

If this was the state of my arm then I didn't want to imagine what my back looked like. It had taken the brunt of the blast, as I had been facing away from the explosion, and I didn't imagine that it managed to come out in any better a condition. Thankfully I could not feel my back at all. Which in any other situation might have been mildly disturbing but, as of right now, I was quite grateful for the respite from pain. Though, with my luck, it was only temporary.

When I tried to stand, pain racked my body, forcing me to immediately give up. So instead I decided to remain where I was, lying on the ground as I waited for my wounds to heal.

_"Hahahaha-!"_

I managed to turn my head just enough to catch a glimpse of the source of the laughter. Karasuba was only a few yards away from me, also lying on the ground. With her head pointed towards mine we were almost mirror images of each other.

"Emiya." When she caught sight of me, she lifted a hand and pointed towards the sunset, heedless of her own burns. "It's your win," she gasped out before returning to happily laughing her ass off.

It was with a graceful smile that I set my head back onto the ground. Knowing she was still alive made it all worth it.

I wasn't certain that she would survive the experience. Rule Breaker can break any contract, no matter how powerful, but a Sacred Gear was already embedded into the seat of a person's soul. From a time before their birth it was there, a part of them as surely as their own heart and lungs were. The soul began adapting to it over time, growing alongside the Sacred Gear and making it a part of itself. This was why, once a Sacred Gear was removed, the soul typically could no longer sustain its form and collapsed onto itself, killing the host.

Once that happened, it was impossible to revive them. Not even the Evil Pieces could bring them back, not without returning the Sacred Gear to the host, as it was the soul that was damaged and not the body. It was why the idea of extracting the Boosted Gear had never occurred to me. Doing so should have been tantamount to killing her.

But it seemed like I need not have worried.

The Rule Breaker did not extract the Boosted Gear. It only severed the bond with the host, leaving the Sacred Gear in its proper place. And as Sacred Gears were designed for the purpose of attaching themselves to the nearest comparable soul, which in this case just so happened to be the soul it was already inhabiting, it re-established its connection almost immediately.

In the end all that Rule Breaker managed to do was temporarily disrupt the connection between the host and Sacred Gear, effectively resetting it.

Which was why Karasuba lived.

Even so, just because she survived her experience with Rule Breaker did not mean she had not been in any danger. Without the defences that the Juggernaut Drive provided her there was no chance of her surviving the aftermath of her attack. The Dragon Shot she fired was so powerful that I was certain that, for all of my natural defences, it would have vaporised my body had it so much as brushed me. As close as Karasuba had been to the epicentre of the blast, there was no way she would have survived.

That was why I used my body to shield her.

Filling my circuits with as much Prana as I could produce, I turned my flesh completely into steel and put myself between her and the blast.

It was barely enough.

But in the end it was worth it.

Karasuba was right.

With a groan of agony I flipped myself onto my back, my eyes taking in the evening sky overhead. The sun was setting.

This really was my win.

It was then that I caught sight of the crater

It began about a hundred meters away, in the direction where my feet were pointed. A massive bowl-shaped depression in the ground that stretched for miles, all the way to the horizon, it almost extended farther than even I could see. From this angle, I couldn't even see how deep it went. To think that a city once stood there, when nothing remained of it now but a hole in the ground.

At that moment, I had never been more thankful in my life for thinking ahead. If I hadn't insisted on fighting here instead of the real world, I couldn't even begin to imagine how much worse things would have gotten.

For the next few seconds, I just lay there, enjoying my well-deserved break as I stared up at the golden-red sky, Karasuba's laughter still filling my ears.

"Hey," I called once I felt I had waited long enough. "Isn't it about time to answer my question?"

Karasuba paused in her laughter to send me a perplexed look. "What?"

"My question," I repeated, still looking at the sky. "That was my prize."

When we began our fight, I managed to draw out a promise from Karasuba that, should I win our duel, she'd answer any single question I asked.

"Ah, that." Karasuba sounded a little absent-minded, almost as if she was trying to recall a long forgotten memory. I didn't blame her. It really did feel like it had happened a lifetime ago. "I had completely forgotten."

She laughed again at the thought before, with a grunt of what may have exertion but was just as likely to have been pain, she flipped herself onto her front. Reaching forward with a hand she dug her fingers into the earth and began to pull her body forward, dragging herself on the ground towards where I lay.

She didn't bother trying to stand and walk.

Or rather, she couldn't.

I had tried to shield her from the worst of the blast but, even using my body as a shield, I couldn't protect her from all of it. She hadn't come out of it unharmed. Burn marks littered her entire form, ranging from mild burns all the way up to deep third degree burns, bones peaking through where her flesh had been incinerated. It must have been agonising to carry those injuries, not that Karasuba seemed to notice with how much she been laughing.

But that wasn't the worst of it.

The upper half of her body was mostly intact, burned at places but whole. Her lower body however-

I couldn't cover her completely. With my frame there was no way I could have covered every inch of her and left nothing exposed. Which was why I prioritized her upper body, her head and chest, covering it as much as I could with my own body.

I managed to protect most of her, but not all of her.

Karasuba dragged herself across the ground towards me, the ruined stumps of her legs trailing uselessly behind her. Everything from her mid-thigh downwards was gone. Not even her knees remained. Unless she got immediate treatment by a powerful magical healer, she'd never be able to walk again.

But that alone was not the worst of her injuries – it was only the worst of those visible.

There was something missing from Karasuba, something crucial. It was not something that I could perceive with my eyes, but only with my senses. Within her, in the place where a person's soul may dwell, there was an emptiness where something was supposed to reside. A light that once burned so brightly had dimmed. The flame that was once a blazing inferno may not have been extinguished but was now barely an ember, threatening to sputter out with the slightest breeze.

Her life-force had been almost entirely used up. The Juggernaut Drive had been active for only a handful of minutes but it had drained her until almost nothing remained. How many years had she given up for using it? Decades at least. Even if Karasuba never used the Juggernaut Drive again, it was unlikely that she'd live to see thirty. She may not even make it to twenty, so little of her life remained.

But even so, when Karasuba finally reached me, dropping herself to the ground with her head parallel to my own before rolling onto her back, she still laughed.

Happily, freely, she laughed.

Somehow, I don't think she regretted it.

Turning my head so that I looked to my left, where Karasuba had laid her head next to mine no more than a foot away, I found her looking back at me. Her grey eyes shone with barely restrained mirth.

"Well," she began, lips set in an open smile. "Wasn't that something?"

Only to break down in a fit of laughter an instant later. It was a childlike sound, completely carefree, as if a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders.

I simply stared as she laughed, waiting for her to finish.

Seeing this, Karasuba rolled her eyes. "Fine," she relented almost petulantly. "Go ahead and ask. What is it that you want to know?"

That was the million dollar question, wasn't it?

When I had first made the deal at the beginning of the fight I had a completely different question in mind, but at some point during the fight I had already received the answer I was looking for. Several of them, as a matter of fact.

And now there was only one thing left to ask.

"What did you see?" Spotting her raised eyebrow, I clarified. "Excalibur. What did it show you? What did you see in the light?"

Karasuba stared at me for a long while, grey eyes no longer lidded, not saying a thing, before she looked away.

"Ha. So that's what you wanted," she said, sounding oddly tired. To her credit, she didn't try and dodge the question. "It was nothing." She dropped her head and looked up to the sky, the breeze pulling strands of hair over her face. "Just a dream. A lie that will never come true..."

Karasuba seemed to lose herself in the memory, drifting into silence while her eyes seemed to see something that was not there.

"What did you see?" I promoted as gently as I could.

"...Home." She answered. "I saw home."

* * *

"**Ex-**

_Karasuba turned __away from where __she __was examining a sword protruding from the ground, __just as a __pillar of light ascended to the heaven__s__._

_ She stood on the __side__ of a grassy hill dotted with sword__s__ and looked upwards, __eyes widening with wonder at what she saw. Her__ mind __was unable__ to __articulate__ what she __experienced__ as she was bathed __in__ its radiance. A__ light __so golden and warm__ washed over the world, remind__ing__ her of-_

_A single arm__ found its way around her shoulders, wrapping __around her protectively, __filling her with a familiar warmth__._

_ She did not need __to __turn __and__ look to know who was standing there._

_ She did so anyway._

_Turning to her left, she found him looking at her, a smile sitting easily on his lips as if he knew all the secrets of the world. His brown eyes gazed at her warmly, while he pulled __her __closer to his side with his single arm as if to protect her from the world._

_ Dad._

_ From her other side she felt someone else wrap their arms around her, burying themselves under her right arm and clinging to her side so fiercely as if she'd never let __anyone pry them apart ever again. __She was not surprise__d when she turned to look and found her mother gazing up at her, __eyes filled with such love that she __knew she could never deserve._

_ They were here, by her side._

_ Safe._

_ Somehow she knew that she could stay here and they wouldn't be in any danger. That they were here to stay._

_ She was finally allowed to stay by their side._

_ That alone would have been a miracle. _

_But__ there was someone else._

_ She __looked __ahead__ and found herself staring into __a__ face she had never seen before._

_She stared at __an__ impossibility._

_ '_Who are you?'_ -Though she had seen her before, __though she knew that she had never met this person,__ that thought never __crossed__ her mind._

_She knew her._

_When Karasuba met her eyes__, instead of fli__n__ch__ing back__, she __gazed__ straight __back at her__, smiling with open delight._

_ "Ne__h,__ Nee-chan," __s__he said __playfully, teasingly as she pointed at her wet cheeks,__ "__y__ou'r__e__ crying."_

_ S__o s__he was._

_ Tears ran freely down __Karasuba's __cheeks__ as she gazed __upon__ her __familiar __features, one__s__ she felt as if hadn't seen in a long, long time._

_ Brown tresses ran down the sides of her face, the same shade hers once were. Warm eyes shone, the likes of which she had only seen staring at her from her father's face. A face that was a blend of her father's and mother's. _

_ Karasuba stood before her equal._

_ So similar, yet so different. A light to the shadow of her existence. __A sun to __her__ moon. __Her opposite, but one that could stand by her __o__n equal footing, matching her __every__ step __of the way__.__ A twin, a sister, born the same day, the same hour of the same minute __as her__, __who__ could stand before her unafraid._

_How long had she wished for such as thing?_

_ Her name-?_

_Yume. _

_T__hat was her name – A dream._

_ How fitting._

_She was someone that couldn't be real, __had__ never __been __real, __only a dream born from the depth__s__ of her heart,__ but under the light of th__at__ blade she stood before __her __as real __as__ she was._

_This was her dream – her Yum__e__._

"-**calibur**."

_Then she was gone._

_ As if she was never there._

_ And Karasuba was left standing on the hill of swords, utterly alone._

* * *

With that final piece the entire puzzle fell into place as I understood everything that had happened.

"Hey, Emiya..." Karasuba began, tossing an arm over her eyes. Hiding her face. "...That sword, it's cruel. Showing me something I can never have."

After a moment she removed her arm and stared up at the sky, eyes wet. "I know...I know I'm not allowed to stay by their side. That I don't deserve to. Which was why I spent all this time building up walls, trying to distance myself from them, all the while resigning myself to the truth that I had to leave."

Anger suddenly filled her expression, flaming hot, and her hand clenched into the fist that she hammered against the ground. "_Then in a single instant, that accursed thing brought it all down_." Her voice rose until she was screaming.

Just as suddenly as it came all her anger disappeared, and now Karasuba just looked tired. "Heh." She shut her eyes and chuckled to herself. "I hated that sword for giving me hope again only to take it away. I hated it so much." She chuckled again. "I was going to break it, you know. I didn't know where you had hidden it, but I was determined to break that sword even if I had to dig through every inch of you flesh, crack open your skull and draw out you marrow until I found it and snapped it in two."

"But," Karasuba sighed, "I guess it doesn't matter anyone. Its not going to change one God damn thing no matter what I do. There is no 'Promised Victory' – the Dream will never come true. There is no one left to deliver the Dream...is there?"

Karasuba drifted into silence for a long moment before speaking up again.

"Hey, Emiya."

"Yeah?" I replied, staring up at the sky alongside her.

"The king..." She hesitated." …the king really is dead...isn't he?"

"Yes….she's dead."

Karasuba didn't immediately reply. "...that really sucks."

"...yeah….yeah, it does."

Then we both drifted into silence, neither one of us having anything to say as we laid on our backs, heads side by side, each lost in our thoughts.

I see. So that was it. In the end it was so painfully simple.

It had never been about me, the reason why she had chased after me so desperately. It was to see if she could reach that dream. Even though she had no hope, though she knew it was impossible, nothing more than an ephemeral fantasy that would disappear with the morning light, she chased after it anyway. Hoping against hope for a miracle to occur.

In the end, all she wanted was to remain by her parents' side, and for a sibling – an equal – to understand her. A child's dream.

Truly, what a simple dream.

But there was no one left to deliver the dream.

She knew that. But she tried anyway.

Desperately, fragilely, while still believing it would all be for nothing, she chased after me.

_Is that how much you wanted to stay by their side, Karasuba?_

I shut my eyes.

Deep in my chest, I felt something resolve. An idea that had been stirring in my mind for too long, ever since I met an Angel in a park.

Perhaps it was at that moment that my dream came to be. No, I'm certain it was. The seed that had been planted in my heart by the Angel, it was finally beginning to sprout. I wonder if he knew what he had done that day? If he had planned all of this as we spoke under the swaying leaves?

He probably did. It would be just like him.

Kiritsugu once told me that being a hero was a limited-time thing. That the older we got, the harder it became to call yourself one. But it looked like he was wrong, because what I had to do had never been more clear. I knew what I had to do.

There had been times that I could not save anyone, but, at the very least, I could save this one.

My eyes drifted open.

_ "Would you like to see it?_

I felt Karasuba's eyes on me.

_ "The __C__ontinuation of the Dream?"_

With the remains of my magic, I summoned it, a summoning circle momentarily appearing over my hand before depositing it into my palm.

Ignoring the twinge of pain from my damaged muscles, I reached over and set the Queen Evil Piece on the ground between us.

"Let me save you."

Karasuba stared at it.

"...Is this a joke?" The threat in her voice was all too clear. Pushing herself up with her arms she turned to face me, a curtain of hair blocking her expressionless face. "Because I'm not laughing."

There was no anger in her tone or expression, just a face deprived of any emotion, but I knew if I said the wrong thing next then – legs or no legs – she'd try to kill me.

_ I didn't care._

"Once, man tried to match Heaven," I began, disregarding her threat as I raised a hand up to the sky, fingers open as if trying to grasp it. "They tried to build a Kingdom to match that of God. A Kingdom of Heaven. And though we never did, we came close to matching its splendour. Each attempt came closer to succeeding than the last. Babylon, Carthage, until Camelot. But somewhere along the way, we stopped trying.

_"Perhaps it__'s__ time to try again."_

Karasuba stared at me oddly. "Emiya, what the Hell are you going on about?"

I told her.

Under a sky turned crimson by the setting sun, surrounded by the remains of a ruined city, I told her of my dream. One given to me by an Angel under swaying leaves of green.

Looking at the colour of the sky as I spoke, I realised it had always been twilight. When I said goodbye to _her, _and later on when I first met _her,_ it was always twilight. As if the sun was unable to decide if it was about to rise or set. A promise of a new day, or an end of one. It was no wonder that even the sky within my soul was one of twilight.

For a long time, I didn't know if my life was ending or beginning.

But for this child, to save her, I would make sure this crimson sky held the promise of tomorrow

As I spoke, the anger drained from Karasuba's face to be replaced with incredulity. Her eyes grew steadily wider the more I spoke, until she was staring at me with eyes so wide I could no longer see the white, her jaw hanging ever so slightly open.

By the time I was done Karasuba had been rendered mute, simply staring slack-jawed at me, unable to say a thing.

"...You're insane," she said at last, having finally regained her voice, sounding completely serious. "You are certifiably mentally insane."

I felt slightly insulted that _she_ of all people would say that to me.

It wasn't long, however before her incredulity morphed into amusement, causing her to throw her head back in laughter. Not cruel one but clean and honest laughter born from genuine delight and perhaps even wonder.

When she finally managed to calm down her laughter to snickering, Karasuba turned to look at me. She simply stared at me for a time, a wide smile sitting plainly on her lips for all to see as she contemplated me. Then she shifted, moving so that she hung above me, her forearms placed on either side of my head to support her weight. Grey hair tumbled down, falling around us like a curtain as her face hung mere inches above my own, grey eyes focused onto my gold, while a tiny smile remained on her lips.

For a time, we stayed like that. Neither of us saying a word.

I wasn't sure how much time passed, but by the time she stirred the sun had almost completely set, the sky above painted a dark shade of crimson-red, threatening to plunge us into complete darkness at any minute.

Pushing herself back, Karasuba turned to consider the innocuous black chess piece sitting on the ground. A thoughtful look on her face, she observed the chess piece with an uncharacteristic amount of patience before reaching out.

Karasuba picked it up.

The moment she touched the Evil Piece, I felt my heart clench and something in the pit of my stomach twist, regret filling me. It wasn't enough. The Queen Piece wouldn't be enough to transform her. There had been no reaction through the link that bound the Evil Piece to me, none whatsoever, which meant that a single Queen piece didn't come close to having enough power to complete the job. With the utter lack of response, I wasn't even sure if two Queen Pieces would have been enough. And I only had just that one.

My eyes momentarily clenched in regret as sorrow filled me. I did not have enough pieces to transform her.

I had failed.

I could not save her.

Karasuba, unaware of my inner turmoil, continued to examine the chess piece. Holding it before her eyes, between her thumb and forefinger, she looked it over, turning it from side to side, a contemplative expression upon her face. When she was finished, she turned to look down at me.

Then she smiled.

I watched as her lips formed a single word.

_**[Boost!]**_

The sun disappeared beyond the horizon, plunging the world into darkness, just as the Evil Piece flared to life, burning crimson as it mutated.

* * *

_***Chapter end***_

_**Author's Notes:**_

**So we come to the battle's close at last, and before anyone asks, yes, it was _that_ Yume and yes, Karasuba is part of the Peerage as a Queen. And boy will there be consequences for it, but that's for another time.**

**And with this we have just about reached the mid-point of the current arc, and the action is about to pick up. The first half of the arc is what I mentally think of as the set up stage (Or question arcs using Umineko terminology), and the rest of the arc will be where we reap the rewards and have all the questions answered. **

**Next chapter we'll have a chance to see several of our favorite characters, as well as the announcements of all the match-ups for the Rating Game fights (I'll see if I can post a tournament chart somehow) along with the lead up to the first fight - and trust me when I say that the first Young Devil's Gathering fight is going to be between two people that a lot of readers have been looking forward to seeing for a long time.**

**In addition, this chapter will also marks a change in Shirou as a protagonist. So far, Shirou has been rather passive as a protagonist, reacting to situations rather than taking preemptive action. It makes sense as he didn't have a clear goal or purpose in the DxD verse (other than the vague one of saving people), and was more or less content to sit on the side lines where he had been moved around like a piece on a board, but now that's going to change. He's no longer content to set in the sidelines anymore, not when he has a goal, to see the continuation of the 'Dream'.**

**Expect to see a far more proactive Shirou from now on.**

**That's all for now. I sincerely hope you enjoyed the chapter, please tell me what you thought of it in the reviews.**

**Oh, and in case any of you are wondering what name of the current arc is, its -**

_**ARC 2:-**_

_**The No Longer Distant Utopia **_


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